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Oropharynx
Published in Neeraj Sethi, R. James A. England, Neil de Zoysa, Head, Neck and Thyroid Surgery, 2020
Tonsilloliths, or tonsil stones, are a soft collection of bacterial and cellular debris that form within the tonsillar crypts and are very common. They are most frequently associated with the palatine tonsils but can also be found within the lingual tonsils. Stoodley et al. demonstrated that tonsilloliths exhibit a biofilm structure and form chemical gradients through physiological activity [8]. There is oxygen respiration at the outer layer of the tonsillolith, denitrification toward the middle and acidification toward the bottom. The significance of this is not clearly understood yet.
Tonsillotomy versus tonsillectomy in adults suffering from tonsil-related afflictions: a systematic review
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2018
Justin E. R. E. Wong Chung, Peter Paul G. van Benthem, Henk M. Blom
Indications for tonsillectomy vary between the paediatric and adult population. In the adult population, tonsillectomy is mainly performed for chronic or recurrent tonsillar infections rather than for tonsillar hypertrophy with obstructive symptoms. Other indications for tonsillectomy in both adults and children include established or suspected tonsil-related malignancies and dysphagia related to the tonsils. Tonsil-related symptoms, such as halitosis, dysphagia and detritus (tonsil stones) are rarely an indication for tonsillectomy. The median recovery-duration after tonsillectomy is around 10 d for adults and 7 d for children. Post-operative haemorrhage rates after adult tonsillectomy are reported to be around 5% and post-operative infection rates around 1–7% [2]. Adult patients suffering from tonsillitis are reported to both miss around 9 d of work and use antibiotics for 6 weeks on a yearly basis. Altogether, these data underline the fact that the burden of tonsillectomy for patients is not to be underestimated.