What are the complications of adenoidectomy?
Complications are rare, and usually minor. Anesthetic risk is usually related to the health of the patient serious anesthetic complication can occur, but are very unusual. Bleeding is rare, we have had no serious bleeding in over 300 patients, and only a few minor bleeding episodes. The adenoid “bed” usually becomes superficially infected, and can cause 7-10 days of bad breathe, but serious infections are very rare. If adenoids are routinely removed in all children, without careful consideration and examination, a few children will have “velopharyngeal insufficiency”, meaning that sounds or liquids can escape up the back of the nose; effecting speech and/or swallowing. We have never encountered that complication, but it has been reported by others surgeons. In other words some children should not undergo adenoidectomy because of their special anatomy.
