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What and where are adenoids?

The adenoids are lymphoid tissue like tonsils that lie just behind the openings at the back of the nose.
When the are large or infected they can cause the following symptoms:
• Snoring
• Purulent nasal discharge
• Nasal blockage and mouth breathing
• Obstructive sleep apnoea

They are also thought to have a role in ‘glue ear’. When adenoidectomy is combined with grommet insertion, there is a slightly reduced risk of recurrence of glue ear than if grommets are inserted alone.

How do you know if they are enlarged?

As the adenoids are at the back of the nose they are hard to visualise. Sometimes they can be seen with an auroscope. X-rays can be used but they are not very specific. The most accurate method of checking their size is looking with a fibreoptic camera into the nose.

How do you remove adenoids? (A1)

The operation is performed under general anaesthesia through the mouth.
The adenoids are removed by a device that vaporizes the tissue. The surgery takes about 15 minutes with the whole procedure lasting about half an hour.




















What to expect after surgery?

The surgery is performed as a daycase and requires a 2-3 hour postoperative stay. Children recover very quickly from the procedure. They may be more blocked nasally for a few days as a result of the swelling after surgery. There is often an unpleasant odour after 3 days which disappears after a couple of days. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to reduce the likelihood of this happening.
It is recommended that after adenoidectomy children have 5 days off school to avoid the possibility of developing a secondary infection