Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils. The inflammation may affect other areas of the back of the throat, including the adenoids and the lingual tonsils. Acute tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils triggered by one of the several types of bacteria or viruses, and peritonsillar abscesses can also occur.Aim of the study: To compare tonsillectomy and conservative treatment for chronic tonsillitis in adults. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the Department of ENT of the medical institution. For the study population, we selected patients who were diagnosed with chronic tonsillitis in the department. The patients were given a choice of treatment between a tonsillectomy and a conservative treatment with explaining all the advantages and disadvantages of each modality of treatment. A total of 90 patients participated in the study, 50 opted for tonsillectomy and 40 opted for conservative treatment. All the patients were given a questionnaire and were asked to fill it in the beginning of study. The patients in both groups were informed to visit our OPD after one year of tonsillectomy or conservative treatment apart from their routine OPD visits for throat complaints or post op visits. At the end of one year, they were again given the questionnaire and were asked to fill it up. Results: Patients were in the age group of 18 years to 50 years in both cases and control group. Maximum number of patients were in the age group of 18 to 30 years in both groups. In study group, 15 patients had more than 6 episodes of sore throat and 33 patients had 4 to 6 episodes of sore throat before tonsillectomy which reduced to 43 patients with no episodes of sore throat after tonsillectomy and 6 patients with 1 to 3 episodes. In control group, 7 patients had more than six episodes and 23 had 4 to 6 episodes of sore throat before and no change in episodes after one year of conservative treatment. Conclusion: From the results of the present study, this can be concluded that tonsillectomy is a significantly more efficacious method of treatment for chronic tonsillitis as compared to conservative treatment. Keywords: tonsillectomy, tonsillitis, recurrent tonsillitis, conservative treatment