Adenoidectomy

Adenoidectomy is surgical removal of the adenoids for several reasons, including impaired breathing through the nose, chronic infections, or recurrent earaches. The surgery is less commonly performed in adults as adenoids have usually become vestigial by then. It is most often done on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. Post-operative pain is generally minimal and prevented with an abundance of icy or cold foods. The procedure can sometimes be combined with tonsillectomy if needed. Recovery time can range from several hours to two or three days (though as age increases so does recovery time).

Adenoidectomy is not often performed under one year of age as adenoid function is part of the body's immune system but its contribution to this decreases progressively beyond this age.