Tonsillectomy in Children
Key Points
Key Points
- Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States, with 289,000 ambulatory procedures performed annually in children <15 years of age based on the most recent published data.
- Indications for surgery include recurrent throat infections and obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB), both of which can substantially impact child health status and quality of life (QoL).
- Although there are benefits of tonsillectomy, complications of surgery may include throat pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, dehydration, delayed feeding, speech disorders such as velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI), bleeding, and rarely death.
Table 1. Definitions of Words Used in the Guideline
| Tonsillectomy | A surgical procedure performed with or without adenoidectomy that completely removes the tonsil, including its capsule, by dissecting the peritonsillar space between the tonsil capsule and the muscular wall. |
| Throat infection | Sore throat caused by viral or bacterial infection of the pharynx, palatine tonsils, or both, which may or may not be culture positive for group A streptococcus. This includes the terms strep throat, acute tonsillitis, pharyngitis, adenotonsillitis or tonsillopharyngitis. |
| Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB) | Clinical diagnosis characterized by obstructive abnormalities of the respiratory pattern or the adequacy of oxygenation/ventilation during sleep, which include snoring, mouth breathing, and pauses in breathing. oSDB encompasses a spectrum of obstructive disorders that increases in severity from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Daytime symptoms associated with oSDB may include inattention, poor concentration, hyperactivity or excessive sleepiness. The term oSDB is used to distinguish oSDB from SDB that includes central apnea and/or abnormalities of ventilation (e.g. hypopnea associated hypoventilation). |
| Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) | Diagnosed when oSDB is accompanied by an abnormal polysomnography (PSG) with an obstructive apnea-hyponea index (AHI) ≥1. It is a disorder of breathing during sleep characterized by prolonged partial upper airway obstruction and/or intermittent complete obstruction (obstructive apnea) that disrupts normal ventilation during sleep and normal sleep patterns. |
| Caregiver | Used throughout the document to refer to parents, guardians or other adults providing care to children under consideration for or undergoing tonsillectomy. |
Table 2. Summary of Key Action Statements (KAS)
...Table 2. Sum...
...Diagnosis...
...iting for recurrent throat infectionClinicians...
...Recurrent throat infection with docu...
...for recurrent infection with modifying...
...sillectomy for oSDBClinicians should ask caregive...
...tions for polysomnography (PSG)Before perform...
6. Additional recommendations for PSGThe clini...
...tomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)...
8. Education regarding persistent or rec...
...erioperative pain counselingThe clinician s...
...Treatment...
...ive antibioticsClinicians should NOT ad...
...operative steroidsClinicians should a...
...tient monitoring for children after...
...Postoperative ibuprofen and acetaminophenClinic...
...ive codeineClinicians must NOT administer o...
...Outcome assessment for bleedingClin...
...onsillectomy bleeding (PTB) rateClinicians...
Treatment
Treatmen...
...3. Paradise Criteria for Tonsillectomy...
...of PSG in assessing high-risk populations b...
...Tonsillectomy and oSDB Caregiver Counseli...
...ective Tonsil Grading Scale...
...llectomy in Children CPG algorithm...
Patient Information
...Patient Information...
...lectomy Pain Management For Children...
...illectomy and Airway Obstruction During Sleep...