Should You Have a Tonsillectomy to Correct Sleep Apnea?
A tonsillectomy is a surgery to remove the tonsils. This surgery is often performed if your tonsils are enlarged and are blocking the airways during sleep. It is more often used to treat obstructive sleep apnea in children, but it is almost never performed on adults especially if it is just to treat snoring.
For children and young adults who suffer from sleep apnea, it is often found that it is caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids and is therefore generally recommended as the first step to treat sleep apnea. Research has shown that more than 75% of these procedures are successful when treating children or young adults.
The improvements that are seen after a tonsillectomy are noticeable within six months after the surgery. These improvements include a decline in snoring and other restless sleep. It also is known to diminish the number of colds and coughing that the child experiences as well. In many cases it also reduces hyperactivity and other behavioral problems that were prevalent before the surgery because the child is now getting better rest and therefore more sleep. The lack of restful sleep probably contributed to the hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.
If a child has other medical conditions like asthma or other respiratory problems those conditions would be treated first before considering the surgery and would be monitored afterwards as well. Any physician who is treating a child would take these conditions into consideration before attempting any surgeries on them.
The risks of a tonsillectomy to correct sleep apnea are generally small if the child has no other medical conditions, but some complications that could occur from this surgery include excessive bleeding or infection which would be monitored by the physician. In most cases the patient will have some difficulty eating and swallowing for a few days after the procedure, but then will feel just fine and return to normal activities.
As with any surgery it is important to seek sound medical advice from a physician who understands and works with this type of problem. You should also check with your insurance company to ensure that the procedure is covered as it will most often not be if you only indicate that it has to do with reducing snoring. They would not consider that a medical reason for the surgery, but your physician can help you with that before the procedure is performed to ensure you have no problems.
For children and young adults who suffer from sleep apnea, it is often found that it is caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids and is therefore generally recommended as the first step to treat sleep apnea. Research has shown that more than 75% of these procedures are successful when treating children or young adults.
The improvements that are seen after a tonsillectomy are noticeable within six months after the surgery. These improvements include a decline in snoring and other restless sleep. It also is known to diminish the number of colds and coughing that the child experiences as well. In many cases it also reduces hyperactivity and other behavioral problems that were prevalent before the surgery because the child is now getting better rest and therefore more sleep. The lack of restful sleep probably contributed to the hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.
If a child has other medical conditions like asthma or other respiratory problems those conditions would be treated first before considering the surgery and would be monitored afterwards as well. Any physician who is treating a child would take these conditions into consideration before attempting any surgeries on them.
The risks of a tonsillectomy to correct sleep apnea are generally small if the child has no other medical conditions, but some complications that could occur from this surgery include excessive bleeding or infection which would be monitored by the physician. In most cases the patient will have some difficulty eating and swallowing for a few days after the procedure, but then will feel just fine and return to normal activities.
As with any surgery it is important to seek sound medical advice from a physician who understands and works with this type of problem. You should also check with your insurance company to ensure that the procedure is covered as it will most often not be if you only indicate that it has to do with reducing snoring. They would not consider that a medical reason for the surgery, but your physician can help you with that before the procedure is performed to ensure you have no problems.