Sub-total tonsillectomy - reduced pain and surgery risks
Also known as an intra-capsular tonsillectomy, tonsillectomy, or sub-total tonsil reduction is an increasingly recognised technique for reducing the post-surgery symptoms after tonsillectomy.
As a painful procedure, reducing both the risks, and the discomfort children have in the post operative period is important. For some children this unfortunately can mean having to attend hospital for extra pain-relief, or due to bleeding.
The sub-total tonsillectomy technique leaves a small “cuff” of tonsil tissue, which is thought to reduce pain, speed up recovery, and reduce the risk of post operative bleeding. Using a technique call “Coblation,” this reduce the tonsil, and provides the same outcome as the total tonsillectomy, but with all the above benefits.
A recent study considered this technique in children with developmental delay, an important group whom often do not cope well with painful procedures. The researchers found those patients who had a sub-total tonsillectomy had:
less “narcotic” (very strong) pain relief requirement
reduced presentations to the emergency department for pain
reduced rate of bleeding post operatively
no difference in their sleep studies after surgery (meaning the same benefit from surgery for both techniques.
There is a small rate of tonsillar regrowth, however the study concluded that sub-total tonsillectomy has comparable benefit to the total tonsillectomy, but a better safety profile, something we always want for our children and patients.
