Result of Intracapsular Partial Tonsillectomy Using CO2 Laser and Radiofrequency for Treatment of Tonsillolith

Moon, In Hee

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Among the treatment methods used for tonsilloliths, tonsillectomy has a high cure rate but also the disadvantage of adverse effects that include severe postoperative pain and relatively frequent postoperative bleeding. In contrast, CO2 laser cryptolysis causes less pain and bleeding, but also has the disadvantage of the occasional requirement for additional operations. To identify a tonsillolith treatment method that would cause less pain and bleeding as well as decreased rate of recurrence, we used intracapsular partial tonsillectomy under local anesthesia for the treatment of tonsillolith and analyzed the results.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
The subjects were 82 tonsillolith patients who had undergone intracapsular partial tonsillectomy with radiofrequency and CO2 laser under local anesthesia between October 2011 and March 2012.
RESULTS
Tonsilloliths were commonly found in the upper half of palatine tonsil. When selective partial tonsillectomy was performed on the area where the tonsillolith had occurred, a 92.7% success rate was obtained with just a single operation. Postoperative bleeding that needed treatment occurred in 1.2% of the patients. In the case of postoperative pain, moderate pain was most common with significant differences in intensity depending on the depth of the crypt and the extent of the operated area.
CONCLUSION
Good results were achieved by treating tonsillolith with intracapsular partial tonsillectomy, utilizing CO2 laser and radiofrequency under local anesthesia, which selectively removed the crypt where the tonsillolith occurred.