Abstract
The author applied thermosurgery to 30 patients with habitual tonsillitis who refused to receive tonsillectomy. This is a method to disorganize tonsillar tissue with heat by pricking the tonsils with the tip of a cautery heated up to 700°C. The cautery is applied to three spots, namely, the fossa superior, central part and lower pole of the tonsil. Cauterization of 15 to 20 seconds a time is sufficient. The burned tissue will fall off within about a week and lacunae are made open. The patients who received this kind of operation were followed up for three years. It was apparent that with one - or two-time cauterization such tonsillitis abated well with a result that was rated “markedly effective” in eight cases, “effective” in 14 cases and “fairly effective” in four cases, although four cases are still under observation. There were no “ineffective” cases whatsoever.
