Long-term observation of postoperative course of habitual tonsillitis

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are among the most frequently held operations in the ENT field. In our hospital, the number of cases of tonsillectomy has been decreasing recently as compared with 10 to 15 years ago. Especially the number of cases under 10 years old has shown a decrease. It is sometimes difficult to decide the indication for tonsillectomy even for habitual tonsillitis. In this paper, the post operative course of tonsillectomy with habitual tonsillitis was investigated during 1976 to 1986 using a questionnaire. Answers evaluable were obtained from 207 cases. The efficacy of the operation on sore throats, high temperatures and recurrent colds was very high, but a few cases complained that a foreign sensation of the throat had occurred or worsened after operation. The incidence of nasal allergy gradually increased after tonsillectomy, but further studies may be necessary to decide the exact relationship. Laboratory examinations, such as ASLO, CRP, white blood cell counts, immune complex, C3a and C5a, were not particularly helpful in deciding the indication of tonsillectomy for habitual tonsillitis. In general, it is thought that tonsillectomy is very effective for habitual tonsillitis, but we must be more careful in deciding such an indication.