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Updated: Aug 5, 2025
CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
[Effect of tonsillotomy on the inflammation and immune function in children with chronic tonsillitis]
Yunwen Wu1, Nannan Zhang1, Lu Wang1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery，Shenzhen University General Hospital，Shenzhen University Clinical Medical Academy，Shenzhen University，Shenzhen，518055，China.
Insights
Partial tonsillectomy effectively reduces tonsillitis attacks in children. This procedure, performed for chronic tonsillitis, does not negatively impact children's immune function, offering a safe treatment option.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Immunology
Context:
- Chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy are common conditions in children, often leading to recurrent infections and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Tonsillotomy, a surgical intervention, is considered for managing these conditions, but its impact on inflammation and immune response requires further investigation.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of partial tonsillectomy in reducing the frequency of tonsillitis attacks in children with chronic tonsillitis.
- To assess the effect of partial tonsillectomy on key indicators of immune function, including serum immunoglobulin and complement levels.
Summary:
- A prospective study involving 60 children with chronic tonsillitis and OSA compared partial tonsillectomy with adenoidectomy (experimental group) to adenoidectomy alone (control group).
- The experimental group showed a significantly lower number of tonsillitis attacks post-surgery compared to the control group.
- Serum immunoglobulin (IgM, IgG, IgA) and complement (C3, C4) levels remained unchanged in both groups, indicating no adverse effect on immune function.
Impact:
- Partial tonsillectomy is a safe and effective treatment for reducing the recurrence of tonsillitis in pediatric patients.
- The findings support the use of partial tonsillectomy as a viable option for managing chronic tonsillitis without compromising children's immune system.
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the changes of inflammation and immune function in children with chronic tonsillitis after tonsillotomy. Methods:Prospectively collected 60 children with obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） diagnosed as chronic tonsillitis with adenoids and tonsillar hypertrophy from January to June 2021. Two groups were divided, the experimental group （n=30） underwent bilateral partial tonsillectomy + adenoidectomy by hypothermia plasma ablation, and the control group （n=30） underwent adenoidectomy by using the same hypothermia plasma ablation method. The number of tonsillitis attacks before surgery and within one year after surgery was recorded, and the serum immunoglobulin IgM, IgG, IgA, complement C3 and complement C4 levels before operation, one month and three months after operation were measured. Results:The number of tonsillitis attacks in the experimental group and the control group at one year after surgery was lower than that before surgery（P<0.05）; The number of inflammatory attacks in the experimental group was （0.50±0.63） times/year, which was lower than that of （1.33±0.80） times/year in the control group. There was no significant difference in the five immunization results of the two groups at one month and three months after operation compared with before operation, and there was also no significant difference between the experimental and the control groups. Conclusion:Partial tonsillectomy can be applied to children with chronic tonsillitis, which can effectively reduce the number of tonsillitis attacks and has no effect on the immune function of children.
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