What happens During Surgery?
An adenoidectomy is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes about 20 minutes.
The surgeon will remove the adenoids through the patient’s mouth, and place a pack in the back of the nose to stop the bleeding.
For turbinectomy surgery, a local anaesthetic may be used instead of a general anaesthetic. The operation usually takes 15 to 30 minutes.
Reducing the size of the turbinates usually involves one of the following techniques.
- Diathermy – Passing an electric current through a needle placed either on the surface of the turbinate or inside the tissue.
- Trimming – Cutting away the lower or outer part of the turbinate. This may also involve removing some of the turbinate bone and rolling some of the remaining tissue over the raw area.
Your surgeon may place some packing in your nose to prevent bleeding.
The operation is performed through your nostrils and does not result in any facial scars or black eyes.
How long will I stay in hospital?
You may be able to go home the same day after or the day after surgery.
If non-dissolvable packing was placed in your nose during the procedure, you will need to stay overnight and the packing will be removed the next morning
What is my recovery time?
You will need to stay off work and away from groups of people for 2 weeks. This is to avoid catching a cold, which could result in an infection.
Regular exercise should help you to return to normal activities as soon as possible. Before you start exercising, ask the healthcare team or your GP for advice.
Most people make a full recovery and can return to normal activities.
