Prevalence of Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Complication at Phramongkutklao Hospital
Tarit Muninnobpamasa MD*, Kanyarat Khamproh MD**, Greetha Moungthong MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Otolaryngology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand ** Department of Otolaryngology, Port Suranaree Hospital, Nakornrajsrima, Thailand
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, one of the major procedures among otolaryngologist, may have risk in post
operative complications which can be either non severe complications (dysphagia, wound pain, dehydration) or serious
complications (Bleeding, partial airway obstruction). Meticulous attention to surgical techniques and technical advance in
anesthesiology have significantly reduced the number of complications. In Thailand, there are few reports about the
adenotonsillectomy complications so the objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence and related risk
factors in patients visiting the department of Otolaryngology, Phramongkutklao Hospital.
Objective : To determine the prevalence of complications and related risk factors in patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy
in Phramongkutklao Hospital.
Material and Method: The patients who had undergone adenotonsillectomy from January 2003 to December 2006 in the
department of Otolaryngology, Phramongkutklao Hospital was retrospectively and prospectively reviewed. Information
extracted included age, tonsillar size, indication for surgery, the post operative complications (anesthetic complication,
primary bleeding, secondary bleeding, airway obstruction, dysphagia, wound pain, dehydration, length of stay in hospital and
re-admission.
Results : Four hundred and eighty-one patients were enrolled, of which 36.8% were younger than 12 years-old and 63.2%
were over 12 years-old; 39.3% male and 60.7% female. Indication for surgery provided by chronic hypertrophic tonsillitis
73%, obstructive sleep apnea 23.5%, peritonsillar abscess and others 3.5%. The prevalence of complications was anesthetic
complication 1.6%, primary bleeding 4.1%, secondary bleeding 3.9%, dysphagia 29.0%, dehydration 4.6%, wound pain
48.1%. The average length of hospital stay was 3.6 days and re-admission 3.7%.
Conclusion : The prevalence of post operative complication after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy was low but higher than
other previous studies included the primary bleeding and secondary bleeding.
Keywords : Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, Complication
