Tonsillectomy without headlights: a unique solution.Tonsillectomy tonsillectomy /ton·sil·lec·to·my/ (ton?si-lek´tah-me) excision of a tonsil. ton·sil·lec·to·my n. Surgical removal of tonsils or a tonsil. is still one of the most common surgical procedures in otolaryngology. Traditionally, the operation is performed under general anesthesia with a Boyle-Davis mouth gag with tongue retractor retractor /re·trac·tor/ (-trak´ter) 1. an instrument for holding open the lips of a wound. 2. a muscle that retracts. re·trac·tor n. 1. . Headlights are generally used to illuminate the surgical field. The use of headlights attached to the surgeon's head has disadvantages. It is cumbersome, and the rest of the surgical team must rely on the surgeon to illuminate the field. We have devised an alternative method of illuminating the surgical field during tonsillectomy with the aid of a flexible fiberoptic light source. A fiberoptic guide light is attached to the Boyle-Davis retractor blade with an elastic rubber band (figure 1). This leaves the end of the fiberoptic guide light mobile. It can be turned to the direction where illumination is needed during the procedure (figure 2). A similar concept has been described for the laryngoscope in which fiberoptic light is used during intubation intubation /in·tu·ba·tion/ (in?too-ba´shun) the insertion of a tube into a body canal or hollow organ, as into the trachea. endotracheal intubation . (1) [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] The fiberoptic light source is similar to those used for other otolaryngologic procedures, such as nasal endoscopy and laryngoscopy. It uses a cold light source, the intensity of which can be increased or decreased as the situation demands. We have used this method of fiberoptic illumination during tonsillectomies with excellent results. It eliminates the need for wearing a headlight, which can be quite uncomfortable. The surgical field is always illuminated, and lighting is not dependent on the surgeon to illuminate the surgical field with his headlight. This greatly facilitates the work of assistants and scrub nurses during tonsillectomy. Occasionally, in a child, the fiberoptic guide light will restrict access to the tonsils tonsils, name commonly referring to the palatine tonsils, two ovoid masses of lymphoid tissue situated on either side of the throat at the back of the tongue. . However, this is easily overcome by attaching the guide light more proximal to the tongue blade. Reference (1.) Arthurs GJ. Fibre-optically lit laryngoscope. Anaesthesia 1999; 54:873-4. Narayanan Prepageran, FRCS FRCS Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. FRCS abbr. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons ; Rahmat Omar, MS; Rajagopalan Raman, MS, DLO DLO abbr. dead letter office DLO n abbr (= dead-letter office) → oficina de Correos que se encarga de las cartas que no llegan a su destino From the Department of Otorhinolaryngology otorhinolaryngology /oto·rhi·no·lar·yn·gol·o·gy/ (-ri?no-lar?ing-gol´ah-je) the branch of medicine dealing with the ear, nose, and throat. o·to·rhi·no·lar·yn·gol·o·gy n. , University of Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
dr.vijaylaxmi subramanian (Member): can u pls email me more details of this surgical proceedure to vijaylaxmisubramanian@gmail.com 5/31/2009 9:01 AM
hi,<br>i am truly impressed with this technique of tonsillectomy <br>i am a lady ENT surgeon now overseas indian national practising in hyderabad , pls reply the exact technique , and which company makes and sells boyles davis gag with fiberoptic light source ?<br>dr.vijaylaxmi from Maldives MBBS, MS(ENT), DLO |
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