Smart Woman: Should I Have My Child's Tonsils Taken Out?
By: Lane Stone & Cody McDonell
Updated: January 17, 2011
6 y ear old Valentina Tomasino is feeling fine now but she's dealt with a lot of pain.
"I felt like my throat had something clogging it and it hurts" said Valentina.
"She had trouble sleeping because she couldn't breathe being that her tonsils were so large" said Valentina's mother.
Valentina had throat infection after throat infection so her doctor recommended taking her tonsils out.
Tonsilectomy is one of the most common surgeries for children in the U.S. but now new guidelines say it's not always necessary.
"Most kids with frequent throat infections often do better on their own if you do wait it out" said Dr. Richart Rosenfeld with the Long Island College Hospital.
Doctors have long disagreed on whether or not tonsillectomies make a difference, still every year more than half a million children in the US have their tonsils removed.
The new guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology say children who have at least seven throat infections a year are good candidates for surgery. So are children like Valentina who have tonsils so large, their breathing is obstructed at night.
Dr. Rosenfeld says "there are lots of kids who don't sleep well at night, who are having trouble in school they're not performing as well as they should, they really need careful assessment.
Valentina says she was sick of being sick and missing school. She says now she is happier because she gets to go to school and her throat doesn't hurt anymore.
The new guidelines also say doctors should not routinely prescribe antibiotics after surgery because there is no benefit and the body can build up a resistance to the drugs.
"I felt like my throat had something clogging it and it hurts" said Valentina.
"She had trouble sleeping because she couldn't breathe being that her tonsils were so large" said Valentina's mother.
Valentina had throat infection after throat infection so her doctor recommended taking her tonsils out.
Tonsilectomy is one of the most common surgeries for children in the U.S. but now new guidelines say it's not always necessary.
"Most kids with frequent throat infections often do better on their own if you do wait it out" said Dr. Richart Rosenfeld with the Long Island College Hospital.
Doctors have long disagreed on whether or not tonsillectomies make a difference, still every year more than half a million children in the US have their tonsils removed.
The new guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology say children who have at least seven throat infections a year are good candidates for surgery. So are children like Valentina who have tonsils so large, their breathing is obstructed at night.
Dr. Rosenfeld says "there are lots of kids who don't sleep well at night, who are having trouble in school they're not performing as well as they should, they really need careful assessment.
Valentina says she was sick of being sick and missing school. She says now she is happier because she gets to go to school and her throat doesn't hurt anymore.
The new guidelines also say doctors should not routinely prescribe antibiotics after surgery because there is no benefit and the body can build up a resistance to the drugs.
