Adenoid removal - series

Indications

Adenoidectomy may be recommended when enlarged adenoids are blocking the airway, which may be suspected if the child:

snores excessively
has trouble breathing through the nose (nasal obstruction)
has episodes of not breathing during sleep (sleep apnea)

Adenoidectomy may be recommended if the child has chronic ear infections that:

interfere with child's education
persist despite antibiotic treatment
recur 5 or more times in a year
recur 3 or more times a year during a 2-year period

Adenoidectomy may be recommended if the child has chronic or repeated bouts of tonsillitis.

The adenoids normally shrink as the child reaches adolescence and adenoidectomy is rarely needed after reaching the teenage years.

Update Date: 12/1/2011

Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine; Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Tonsils and Adenoids

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