Tonsil cryptolysis
- Description of the treatment
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The Derm-Al Centre offers radiosurgical palatine tonsil cryptolysis.
The purpose is to remove tonsillar crypts, i.e. places where “tonsillar stones” are formed. Tonsillar stones (retention cysts) are white plugs made of food residue, mucus, dead oral cavity tissue and sulphur compounds synthesised by bacteria in the oral cavity. They develop in open tonsillar crypts causing inflammatory reaction: enlarged tonsils, pain, a sense of having a foreign body and bad breath. If you have them once, you will probably have them again and again. They take 1 to 20 days to reconstruct. When a stone is big enough, it may be sometimes removed by coughing, pressing the tonsils or irrigation. Cryptolysis, on the other hand, hinders the development of tonsillar stones. During the treatment, the crypts where stones develop, are reduced and closed.
How does cryptolysis work
The treatment is performed in local anaesthesia (similar to dental anaesthesia) in ambulatory care. The laryngologist applies an electrode emitting high frequency and low temperature radio waves to the crypt. This way, the tissue is coagulated and the crypt is thoroughly cleansed, and it fuses together and disappears during the healing process. The procedure may take 30 to 60 minutes. For 7 days after the treatment, the patient should avoid very hot and spicy meals, crisps, French fries, carbonated drinks, fruit juice, coffee and alcohol. Full recovery takes 7 to 10 days.For better effects, it is important to be very careful about oral cavity hygiene. It is a good idea to rinse the mouth with sage or regularly use bactericidal oral rinses to be bought at pharmacies.
Before the treatment, it is necessary to consult the laryngologist who will be performing cryptolysis. Consultation is also required if a patient has a referral for the treatment from another physician.
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