Toddler tonsillectomy - looking for good surgeons / hospitals in Bromley

[Rebby1245]

Hi all. My DD will be 3 in June. Since birth she has snored and had sleep apnea. She has had tonsillitis approximately 10 times and so we are looking to have her adenoids/tonsils removed. I'm researching private surgeons and hospitals in the Bromley area and wondered if anyone had had a similar experience and could recommend a good surgeon/hospital. I'd be so grateful to hear from someone who has had first hand experience and could say this Doctor was really good or this hospital was brilliant. Thanks in advance.

Can't you get it done on the NHS?
DS (4) had this op on the NHS for apnoea and recurrent tonsillitis. Best thing we ever did.

Can't you just go via NHS? My 2 year old has his tonsils out for sleep apnoea and we didn't have to wait long.

For a paediatric tonsillectomy I'd go NHS all the way, in a children's hospital that does lots of them. It's generally a very straightforward procedure but the main risk is of a post op bleed, which can require a skilled anaesthetist and on site surgeon to manage.

It's such a routime operation on the NHS, happens day in day out at most hospitals so I don't know why the need to go private. Unless the GP won't refer.

The great majority of children get better without surgery.
Most parents whose children consult GPs with sleep apnoea don't choose surgery.

What are you basing that on?

Based on analysis of health records of children in over 500 general practices over a period of about a decade. I am a (medical) university professor with an interest in this area. I have just submitted the paper to a journal.

You might also like to know that there is very little in the way of good research to suggest that tonsillectomy is much help. The best summaries of the best evidence are produced by the Cochrane Library. (See link below)

There is some evidence that removing tonsils in children aged 5 to 9 years who have sleep apnoea which has been confirmed by "sleep studies" (i.e. overnight monitoring of breathing etc in hospital using polysomnography) can help. But over half of them have recovered in 7 months even without surgery. There is more information if you follow the link.

www.cochrane.org/CD011165/ENT_tonsillectomy-or-without-adenoidectomy-versus-no-surgery-obstructive-sleep-disordered-breathing