The adenoids are a pad of immune tissue at the very back of the nose, above the soft palate, where they cannot be seen through the mouth. In young children they are naturally large and usually shrink away by the teenage years. When they are too large, or repeatedly infected, they block the space behind the nose and the openings of the tubes that ventilate the ears. Parents often see the same signs: a child who breathes through the mouth, snores, sleeps badly, speaks with a nasal voice and gets one ear infection after another.
Adenoidectomy, the removal of the adenoids, is one of the most common operations in ENT. It is performed in children and, less often, in adults whose adenoid tissue never shrank.
When the adenoids should come out
The decision is made on symptoms and examination, not on size alone. Dr. Teker looks at the adenoids directly with a thin endoscope passed through the nose, which most children tolerate well, and checks the eardrums and hearing. Surgery is recommended when the adenoids clearly block the airway with mouth breathing and disturbed sleep, when there is fluid behind the eardrums with hearing loss, or when ear or sinus infections keep returning despite treatment.
A short operation, no incisions
The adenoids are reached through the open mouth under general anaesthesia. Dr. Teker removes them under endoscopic view with a microdebrider or a low-temperature radiofrequency instrument, tools that shave the tissue precisely and seal small vessels as they go. There are no cuts on the outside and no packing. The operation takes twenty to thirty minutes, and the child is usually home the same afternoon. If ear tubes or a tonsillectomy are needed, they are done in the same anaesthetic.
Recovery
Expect a sore throat and a stuffy nose for a few days; soft food, plenty to drink and simple painkillers help. Bad breath for about a week is normal as the area heals. Snoring often eases within days. Speech may sound slightly different at first as the palate adjusts to the new space; this usually settles.
Adults
Adenoid tissue occasionally persists into adulthood or enlarges again, causing blockage at the back of the nose, a nasal voice and pressure in the ears. Endoscopic examination shows it clearly, and removal follows the same steps.