Indicators for Tonsillectomy in Adults with Reccurent Tonsillitis

Palatine tonsils are a part of the immune system in§the upper aerodigestive tract that serves as the§first line of defence against harmful environmental§factors. Paradoxically, palatine tonsils themselves§are quite frequently affected by infectious agents,§which may lead to recurrent tonsillitis. A leading§therapeutic approach for such a condition has been§tonsillectomy. The recommendation for§tonsillectomy has depended primarily on the frequency§of tonsillitis episodes. However, there is no§worldwide agreement whether a specific number of§tonsillitis episodes over a certain period of time§warrants tonsillectomy. Adult patients often have§fewer or less severe tonsillitis episodes, but§frequently demonstrate systemic manifestations of§chronic inflammation, such as poor general health,§tiredness, lowered resistance, tendency to catch§colds, unexplained fever or the presence of comorbid§diseases. There is no consensus whether such features§of recurrent tonsillitis could be accepted as the§indications for tonsillectomy. Therefore, the present§book focuses on the selection of evidence-based§indicators for tonsillectomy in adults with§recurrents tonsillitis.