Outpatient laser tonsillar ablation under local anaesthetic

Outpatient laser ablation of the palatine tonsils under local anaesthetic is an alternative technique to capsular tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis under general anaesthetic. Laser tonsillotomy ablates up to 70% of the tonsillar tissue and is performed when patients choose not to have a conventional tonsillectomy, or are unfit for a general anaesthetic. The technique described here is an adaptation of Krespis' laser-assisted serial tonsillectomy (LAST) whereby only one sitting is required. Krespis' technique effectively eliminates recurrent tonsillitis in 96% of the cases over a 4-year follow-up period and represents the only substantial study looking at treating recurrent tonsillitis with outpatient laser ablation. This study is a retrospective postal survey of 19 patients who underwent laser tonsillar ablation under local anaesthetic for recurrent chronic tonsillitis from 1997 to 2001 and was performed in liaison with the clinical audit department at Basildon Hospital. We had a response rate of 74% and an admission rate of 0%, which compares favourably with day case tonsillectomy surgery. Of the patients, 75% did not experience further episodes of tonsillitis 12 months after the procedure and 77% of the patients were glad they had the operation. Although this technique does not completely eliminate tonsillitis, it offers an alternative for those patients who prefer a procedure that is done quickly in an outpatient setting without the additional problems of general anaesthesia, overnight hospital admission and long waiting lists.