Contraindications of tonsillectomy
There is no definite contraindication of tonsillectomy, but there are some conditions that may delay or even prevent the surgery of tonsillectomy such as:
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- Any patient with risk of post-operative bleeding as in patients with bleeding disorders as leukemia, purpura, hemophilia, and aplastic anemia
- History of malignant hyperthermia
- Anemia that may be worsen from postoperative bleeding
- Acute infection in the upper respiratory tract which may aggravate postoperative bleeding and pulmonary complications
- Uncontrolled systemic diseases as in hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac diseases, and asthma
- Some studies suggested that tonsillectomy is contraindicated in children younger than three-year-old. On the other hand, a study conducted by Berkowitz et al. to study the tonsillectomy in children younger than three years, the authors founded that age should not be a deterministic factor to undergo a tonsillectomy or not.
- Other contraindication include poliomyelitis as tonsillectomy may raise the chance of bulbar poliomyelitis, and active tuberculous infections.
