Diameter of vessels across the tonsillar capsule as an anatomical consideration for tonsillectomy

• Published in: Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 33 - 37
• Main Authors: Lee, Kang-Dae, Lee, Hyoung-Shin, Hong, Jong-Chul, Yu, Tai-Hyun, Lee, Hwan-Ho, Chun, Bong-Gwon, Gil, Young-Gi, Kim, Kwang-Hoon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arteries - anatomy & histology; blood vessel; Female; Humans; Intraoperative Complications - prevention & control; Male; Middle Aged; Palatine Tonsil - blood supply; postoperative hemorrhage; Postoperative Hemorrhage - prevention & control; tonsil; tonsillectomy; Tonsillectomy - adverse effects; Tonsillectomy - methods; Veins - anatomy & histology
• ISSN: 0897-3806; 1098-2353
• DOI: 10.1002/ca.20562

The authors measured the diameters of vessels around the surgical plane of tonsillectomy to investigate an anatomical basis to reduce hemorrhage. Thirty tonsils removed from 15 adult cadavers with the mean age of 56 years (range 44–71 years) at the time of death were studied. Calibration of the vessels across the tonsillar capsule was performed at the 1‐mm intracapsular, capsular, and 1‐mm extracapsular plane as artery and vein, respectively. The average diameter of the arteries was 73.0 ± 33.1 μm at the 1‐mm intracapsular plane, 94.7 ± 33.5 μm at the capsular plane, and 139.5 ± 51.2 μm at the 1‐mm extracapsular plane. For the veins, it was 62.9 ± 38.7 μm at the 1‐mm intracapsular plane, 86.8 ± 50.4 μm at the capsular plane, and 133.6 ± 78.6 μm at the 1‐mm extracapsular plane. The diameters of the vessels at the 1‐mm intracapsular plane were significantly smaller than those at the capsular plane (P < 0.01), and likewise the diameters of the vessels at the capsular plane were significantly smaller than those at the 1‐mm extracapsular plane (P < 0.01). The result of this study on the diameter of the vessels across the tonsillar capsule could be considered to be an important factor providing an anatomical rationale for a change in recommendation leading to safer tonsillectomies that minimize vascular injury. Clin. Anat. 21:33–37, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.