Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anatomie

Palatine Tonsils, Adenoids, and Lingual Tonsils Anatomy and Physiology

Abstract

Alexandra Arambula*

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are two of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States and worldwide. 1 Because of the risk of removing healthy tissue, tonsil surgery has traditionally been limited to partial excision. Celsus is credited with performing the first complete tonsillectomy in the first century AD. 3 As the procedure's popularity grew, partial excision was considered the safest and best method for excision. Superior lighting, the ability to control hemostasis, and anaesthetic techniques made complete excision possible by the nineteenth century.