Removal of the palatine tonsils, tympanic membrane reconstruction - what do the various procedures do, how long is the incapacity to work and what are the chances of success? Learn more here:
In childhood, oversized adenoids cause an above-average number of colds and snoring, as well as hearing problems. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under anesthesia and takes about 20 minutes. It is always combined with eardrum incisions. Permanent complications are not expected. The young patients recover within a week.
Tonsillitis requiring multiple antibiotics each year justifies surgical removal of the tonsils. This is done under general anesthesia during a hospital stay of three to four days. The tonsils are released from their tissue bed. The area remains open and heals within two to three weeks. In adulthood, wound healing is more painful than in childhood. Complications: The risk of postoperative bleeding within two weeks is less than 10%. Inability to work for up to three weeks is inevitable.
A frequently performed procedure to improve nasal breathing. This condition is one of the most common limitations to the quality of life. The procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia (hospital stay about three days). Nasal tamponade bilaterally for two days to prevent bleeding complications. The immediate consequences of the procedure are tolerable. The ability to smell is only limited for a few weeks. The inability to work and the outpatient follow-up treatment last two to three weeks.
Extensive surgery, which becomes necessary in case of crooked nose shape as well as saddle nose after injuries. Surgical incisions on cartilage and bone take two to three hours and require splinting with a cast. Skin discoloration of the face for about two weeks is inevitable. Convalescence lasts about four weeks.
Chronic rhinitis, loss of sense of smell and frequent head pressure pain may lead to the diagnosis of chronic sinusitis. If all treatments with medication fail, surgical opening of the sinuses becomes necessary. This procedure is performed under inpatient conditions under anesthesia. During this procedure, the diseased sinuses are cleared of inflammatory tissue through the nasal openings under endoscopic control.
Complications are extremely rare, but can be dangerous because the surgical area is in close proximity to the eyes and brain.
A three-week outpatient follow-up is inevitable. The inability to work usually lasts three weeks.
In children under the age of twelve (most commonly between the ages of three and eight), a decompression incision of both eardrums is necessary in combination with adenotomy. It provides ventilation of the middle ear and allows hearing improvement. For lasting hearing improvement, the insertion of a tympanostomy tube may be necessary (under the same outpatient anesthesia).
The final stage of a chronic middle ear infection can be a hole in the eardrum. If this destroys the sound transmission apparatus in the middle ear, hearing ability can suffer greatly. Restoration of function requires microsurgery under anesthesia. While reconstruction of the tympanic membrane is positive in up to 85%, predicting hearing gain in the case of chain reconstruction is difficult. Since this procedure also usually shows good results, it is certainly worthwhile. The incapacity to work lasts three to four weeks, the previous hospital stay up to four days.
