Adult tonsillectomy: relationship between indications and postoperative hemorrhage

In this study, we aimed to determine the possible relationship between the indications for tonsillectomy in adult population and to estimate the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage.

Medical records of 200 adult patients who underwent tonsillectomy between January 2003 and October 2008 were retrospectively analyzed.

The indications for adult tonsillectomy were chronic infection in 153 patients (76.5%); upper airway obstruction secondary to tonsillar hypertrophy in 37 patients (18.5%) and suspected neoplasms in 10 patients (5%). Sixteen patients (8%) had postoperative hemorrhage. Fourteen patients of 153 patients (9.2%) who underwent surgery with the indication of chronic infection and two of 37 patients (5.4%) who underwent surgery with the indication of upper airway obstruction secondary to tonsillar hypertrophy had also postoperative hemorrhage. None of the 10 patients who operated with the indication of suspected neoplasm had postoperative hemorrhage. Although the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage according to the indications of adult tonsillectomy in descending order was chronic infection (9.2%), upper airway obstruction secondary to tonsillar hypertrophy (5.4%) and suspected neoplasms (0%), it was found that the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage was not statistically significantly related to the indications for tonsillectomy.

The incidence of postoperative hemorrhage was not statistically significantly related to the indications for tonsillectomy. In addition, we believe that surgery is a more common cause of postoperative hemorrhage rather than chronic infections.