Less commonly, the hole may occur on the posterior tonsil pillar as shown below.
Typically, this hole appears not immediately after surgery, but 5-10 days afterwards. Known as a fistula, this is a temporary situation as this hole will almost always close up over several months. Even holes much bigger than that shown in these pictures will typically heal closed on its own without any specific intervention.
Fistulas after tonsillectomy occur depending on how thin the pillar mucosa is and the degree of tissue devitalization after tonsillectomy (from cautery to stop any bleeding).
Although benign and temporary, it can be annoying to the patient as food can get caught in this hole. But rest assured, they invariably typically close up with time alone without any specific treatment.
BUT... if the fistula does persist and causes problems, the thin mucosal bridge can be cut marsupializing the hole as shown below in the second picture. Arrow left in same position.
Watch a video showing how a tonsillectomy is performed here!
1 comment:
i have already gotten tonsillectomy almost for 2 months. i did it early march 2017. my ent used radio frequency and microdebrider devices to perform the surgery. Now i have a problem in my right fossa of tonsil behind the tonsilar pillar because it has a fissure. Everything i eat gets stuck there so i have to drink and gargle a lot to move the food from that fissure. Is it a hope that someday that fissure will be closed? what can i do if it can not close? please help help i am suffering every time i want something. my ent said that it just a food stuck. Not a big problem from his perspective. Please help me
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