The adenoids are lymph tissue located in the upper throat, just behind the nasal passage. They help the body fight infections. When the adenoids become frequently infected or enlarged, a surgeon performs an adenoidectomy to remove them from the body.
Reasons
Enlarged adenoids block breathing and can cause sleep apnea. They can also block normal drainage of the eustachian tube, connecting the ear to the throat, causing frequent ear infections.
Tonsillectomy
When a patient undergoes a tonsillectomy, the removal of the adenoids frequently occurs at the same time, even if they are not causing acute problems.
Procedure
Under general anesthesia, an ear, nose and throat surgeon removes the adenoids by surgically cutting them from the back of the throat. Most adenoidectomy surgeries are outpatient procedures.
Recovery
Most individuals bounce back from and an adenoidectomy within a few days. Scabs from the surgical site fall off in approximately two weeks.
Complications
The biggest complications from the surgery include bleeding, infection, difficulty breathing and pain.
