Kaleigh

Three-year-old Kaleigh developed enlarged tonsils and adenoids that caused her to snore abnormally loud during the night. Her pediatrician indicated that the condition was not uncommon and probably would not lead to any problems as she grew. However, as Kaleigh moved into her toddler years, her personality and behavior changed. Her parents began to wonder if the snoring was somehow linked to the way she acted and felt during the day.

"Kaleigh was no longer her energetic and cheerful self," said her mother, Dawn. "She was irritable and always seemed tired and upset during the day. We were baffled."

Her parents became more concerned when they noticed that their daughter's voice was changing. When Kaleigh spoke, it seemed painful and difficult, and the sound of her voice became muffled and nasal. Soon, her appetite also began to diminish. She was lethargic and seemed unhappy.

When Kaleigh's parents decided that her snoring and daytime behavior were uncharacteristic of a typical three-year-old, they took her to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. Following the ENT's recommendation, her mother videotaped her during the night to detect any disturbance in her sleep that might explain the daytime irritability and sluggishness.

The videotape shocked Kaleigh's parents. While asleep, their daughter was not only snoring, she was also waking up numerous times each hour.

"The videotape was heartbreaking," recalls Dawn. "I never associated her sleeping patterns with the way she acted or felt during the day. I could not believe how uncomfortable she was at night, and how much sleep she was losing."

The videotape also revealed that Kaleigh's breathing periodically stopped altogether at various times during the night, something that frightened her parents. She also tossed and turned and appeared agitated and uncomfortable. At this point, the ENT told Kaleigh's parents that she had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and that it was a likely result of her enlarged tonsils and adenoids. He recommended that Kaleigh's tonsils and adenoids be surgically removed, to clear her airway and ease her breathing while she slept.

"I had heard horror stories about children having their tonsils removed and not being able to sleep, eat or drink for weeks," recalls Kaleigh's mother. "I didn't want to put my daughter through that trauma, but I also could not bear to know that she couldn't breathe at night."

Kaleigh's mother was left with a difficult choice – to subject her daughter to a potentially painful surgery or continue to witness Kaleigh miss out on her active childhood because she could not get a good night's sleep.

Fortunately, Kaleigh did not have to undergo the painful traditional procedure. Instead, her ENT suggested a new technique, called Powered Intracapsular Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy, or the PITA technique. Kaleigh's parents were told that most patients who have the PITA™ technique experience less postoperative pain and bleeding, a faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activity, compared to the traditional surgery. Her parents quickly agreed to the new procedure.

Kaleigh and her parents were delighted with the outcome of the surgery. Almost immediately following the procedure, Kaleigh was talking and laughing – she was also hungry and thirsty.

"The first thing she asked for when she woke up was a box of Chicken McNuggets," said Dawn. "For someone who has not had an appetite for the past year, we knew the surgery had been successful!"

Most importantly, there was no evidence that Kaleigh was in pain. That evening, she slept through her first night without waking up or snoring. The following day, she seemed refreshed, vibrant and had more energy. And, over the course of a couple of days, her voice returned to normal.

"We're glad that Kaleigh can go back to being a three-year-old," Dawn said. "She can enjoy all of the activities that she is supposed to enjoy, without dragging during the day or feeling tired and sluggish. We are thankful that this procedure worked so well for her."

Kaleigh is the only daughter of parents, Dawn and James. They reside in Norfolk, Virginia.

Surgeon's comments:

My partner and I have been noticing shorter recovery time with less need for narcotic pain medications in the children that undergo intracapsular tonsillectomy with the microdebrider. We compared the new technique with standard tonsillectomy with electrocautery in a randomized, blinded, clinical trial. The study showed the average patient recovery with this technique to be 2.5 days. Cessation of pain medication was reduced from 6.5 days to 4 days.
Craig Derkay, MD and David Darrow, MD, DDS are with the Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.
The patient testimonial you have just read is from a real patient. This patient's story may or may not be representative of the total population of people sufferering from adenoid and tonsil disease as results vary from patient to patient. Most patients receive varying degrees of relief from their symptoms. Please see your health care provider to determine what medical course is right for you.

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