This document provides biographical and medical history information for a 30-year-old Malay patient, Mr. IR, who was electively admitted for bilateral tonsillectomy with CAPSO under general anesthesia due to chronic snoring and recurrent tonsillitis. A physical examination revealed grade 3 bilaterally enlarged, erythematous tonsils with an erythematous uvula. The diagnosis was chronic tonsillitis causing obstructive sleep apnea, and the planned treatment was bilateral tonsillectomy with CAPSO under general anesthesia along with pre-operative testing.

1. PATIENT’S BIODATA
Name : Mr IR
Age : 30 years old
Sex : Male
Race : Malay
Registration no : AM 144046
Date of presentation : 28/07/2010
PRESENTING COMPLAINT
Electively admitted for bilaterally tonsillectomy and CAPSO under General Anasthesia.
HISTORY OF PRESENTING COMPLAINT
He first presented in the clinic November last year due to chronic snoring problem for the past 10
years. It progressively worsened with increased in weight gain. The snoring problem sometimes
caused him to wake up in the middle of the night due to shortness of breath (SOB) which lead to
frequent awakening at night which affected his sleeping pattern. Before November last yeasr, he
seldom had sleep apneic attacks. However, since November last year, ithappened approximately
twice in a week, thus rending him unable to sleep soundly at night.
During the day, he usually will be lethargic, sleepy and weak. Thus, his work was also affected.
He also had recurrent sore throat for the past 3 years with attack as frequent as once monthly
with or without fever. The sore throat episodes were usually preceded by Upper Respiratory
Tract Infection. There was also cough present.
However, there was no pain, altered taste, dryness, trismus, dysphagia, odynophagia, ear ache or
other constituitional sypmtoms. Furthermore, there was no voice change (eg. dysarthria,
hoarseness), noisy breathing (eg. snoring, stridor), cough, halitosis or repeated throat clearing.
There was no loss of appetite or loss of weight.
Systemic reviews of other systems were also unremarkable.

2. PAST MEDICAL AND PAST SURGICAL HISTORY
Unremarkable
DRUGS AND ALLERGIES
He is only allergic to seafood whereby when he took seafood he will develop ithciness all over
the skin. Otherwise, he has no other known allergies.
FAMILY HISTORY
He has a positive family history of atopy. His mother has Eczema and Hypertension while his
younger brother has childhood asthma. Otherwise, there were no other chronic medical illnesses.
SOCIAL HISTORY
Mr. Iznal Rafa is currently single and work as an instrument service technician. His total
monthly income are approximately RM1,800. He lives with his friend in a single storey house in
Cheras. He is a smoker of 7 cigarretes per day for the past 10 years. Other than that, he is a non-
drinker.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
GENERAL EXAMINATION
Patient looked obese but generally he was alert and comfortable, not pale looking or jaundice.
Weight: 105 kg Height: 1.7 m BMI: 36.33
Vital Signs:
Pulse Rate : 86 beats/min, regular and good volume
Respiratory rate : 20 breaths/min, regular
Blood Pressure : 130/70 mmHg
Temperature : 37 oC

3. OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGICAL SYSTEM
• Oral Cavity
Lips and buccal mucosal were well hydrated. Mouth opening was good. There was no
halitosis. Dentition was good, no missing teeth and bledding gums. No tongue atrophy or
deviation. Hard palate appeared normal. There was no cracks, ulcers or masses seen in
the oral cavity.
• Oropharnyx
There were bilateral tonsils enlargement and they appeared erythematous. However, there
was no follicles or exudate seen. (Grade 3). Uvula was slightly erythematous. Soft palate,
posterior pharyngeal wall and base of tongue appeared to be normal. There was no ulcers,
swelling or any other masses seen. The larynx was normal with mobile vocal cords.
• Ear
The pinna and external auditory meatus were normal bilaterally. The tympanic
membrane appeared translucent pearly white and no abnormalities were detected on both
sides. Rinne’s test was positive on both sides. Weber’s test was equal bilaterally.
• Nose
The nose appeared normal bilaterally. No scars, sinus, swelling or any deformities seen.
On anterior rhinoscopy, the septum looked normal. Right side inferior turbinate was
slightly oedematous and boggy. The left side infererior turbinate was normal. Otherwise,
the mucosa appeared pink and were not pale and edematous bilaterally. Middle meatus
was normal. No polyps or foreign bodies were seen. The posterior nasal space was
normal.
• Neck:
The neck was in normal attitude. There was no noticeable swelling, discoloration, ulcer,
or prominent veins. There was no temperature, tenderness, mass, or lymph node
enlargement. The trachea was not deviated.

4. No nodes or masses were palpable. No abnormalities were seen.
OTHER SYSTEMS
The cardiorespiratory examination revealed normal chest with vesicular breath sound and no
added ronchi or crepitation. Apex beat was not dislocated and first and second heart sound was
heard with no murmur. Abdomen was soft and non tender. There was no organomegaly.
SUMMARY
Mr IR, a 30 year old Malay gentlemen presented with history of chronic snoring for 10 years and
3 years history of recurrent tonsillitis electively admitted for bilateral tonsillectomy with CAPSO
under general anesthesia. Physical examination revealed grade 3 bilateral hypertrophic
erythematous tonsils with erythematous uvula.
DIAGNOSIS
Chronic Tonsillitis causing obstructive sleep apnea
MANAGEMENT
Following a complete history and physical examination, relevant baseline investigations should
be carried out since patient will undergo an operation under general anaesthesia. Even though he
had no other chronic medical illnesses, patient still has every possible risk especially since he is
obese.
INVESTIGATION
1. Full blood count
Objective: - To check for and infection and Hameglobin level since he had been
having recurrent tonsillitis
- For pre-operation assessment

5. 2. Renal profile
Objective: To assess renal function (pre operation assessment)
3. Liver function test
Objective: To assess renal function (pre operation assessment)
4. Blood grouping cross match
Objective: For preparation in case of any complication from the surgery which will need
blood transfusion.
5. Chest x-ray
Objective: To assess patient’s lung condition for pre-operation assessment
TREATMENT
1. Bilateral tonsillectomy with CAPSO under General Anasthesia.
DISCUSSION
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial
infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While viral tonsillitis must
resolve on its own, tonsillitis caused by bacteria is treatable with antibiotics, which usually
resolves symptoms in two to three days.
Chronic tonsillitis is a persistent infection in the tonsils. Since this infection is repetitive, crypts
or pockets can form in the tonsils where bacteria can store. Frequently, small, foul smelling
stones (tonsilloliths) are found within these crypts that are made of high quantities of sulfur.
These stones cause a symptom of a full throat or a throat that has something caught in the back.
A foul breath that is characterized by the smell of rotten eggs (because of the sulfur) is also a
symptom of this condition. Other symptoms that can be caused by tonsillitis that are not
normally associated with it include snoring and disturbed sleep patterns. These conditions
develop as the tonsils enlarge and begin to obstruct other areas of the throat. A person's voice is
generally affected by this type of illness and changes in the tone of voice a person normally has.
While a person may only become hoarse, it is possible for laryngitis to develop if the throat is

6. used too much while the tonsils are swollen or inflamed. Other uncommon symptoms that can be
experienced with tonsillitis include vomiting, constipation, a tongue that feels furry or fuzzy,
difficulty opening the mouth, headaches and a feeling of dry or cotton mouth.
In my patient, he presented with chronic history of snoring which affected his quality of life due
to his lack of sleep. The recurrent tonsillitis that he had been having for the past 3 years also
made the snoring problem worse apart from his weight increment. These are two predisposing
factors for his snoring problem along with the smoking. His physical examination revealed grade
3 bilateral hypertrophic tonsils which are an indication for operation apart from the monthly
attack of sore throat. Thus he was electively being admitted for bilateral tonsillectomy with
CAPSO. Since the operation will be done under general anaesthesia, baseline investigations
should be carried out especially since he is obese. The post operative complications are not to be
taken lightly. The same reason goes for the complete physical examination.
[1]
A tonsillectomy is a 2,000 year-old surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed from
either side of the throat. The procedure is performed in response to cases of repeated occurrence
of acute tonsillitis or adenoiditis, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, snoring, or
peritonsillar abscess. Sometimes the adenoids are removed at the same time, a procedure called
adenoidectomy. Although tonsillectomy is being performed less frequently than in the 1950s, it
remains one of the most common surgical procedures in children in the United States.
Post operatively:
• A sore throat will persist for around two weeks. Most patients do not feel like swallowing
anything during the first few days after surgery. Patients should try to get as much fluid
down as possible, as it will help speed recovery. Very cold drinks will help bring down
swelling. Ice cream, frozen yogurt and other dairy products are not recommended
because they leave a film in the mouth that is difficult to swallow. Sherbet and popsicles,
on the other hand, are recommended. Additionally, Slushies are particularly helpful for
sore throats, especially when sugar-free.
• Pain following the procedure is significant and may include a hospital stay. [2] Recovery
can take from 10 up to 20 days, during which narcotic analgesics are typically prescribed.
Patients are encouraged to maintain diet of liquid and very soft foods for several days
following surgery. Rough textured, acidic or spicy foods may be irritating and should be

7. avoided. Proper hydration is very important during this time, since dehydration can
increase throat pain, leading to a vicious cycle of poor fluid intake.[3][4]
• At some point, most commonly 7–11 days after the surgery (but occasionally as long as
two weeks (14 days) after), bleeding can occur when scabs begin sloughing off from the
surgical sites. The overall risk of bleeding is approximately 1%–2% higher in adults.[5]
Approximately 3% of adult patients develop significant bleeding at this time. The
bleeding might naturally stop quickly or else mild intervention (e.g., gargling cold water)
could be needed (but ask the doctor before gargling because it might bruise the area of
the skin that has been cauterized). Otherwise, a surgeon must repair the bleeding
immediately by cauterization, which presents all the risks associated with emergency
surgery (primarily the administration of anesthesia particularly on a patient whose
stomach may not be empty).
Cautery-assisted palatal stiffening operation (CAPSO) is a procedure where the surgeon uses
electrocautery equipment to remove part of the soft palate and uvula. It burns the uvula causing
fibrosis and consequent stiffening of the uvula thus increase the arch of palate and subsequently
increase the airway to reduce snoring. There are no long-term efficacy data available at present.[6]
According to a study, its short-term effectiveness is rated as high at 92% and effectiveness within
12 months is average at 77%.[7]
REFERENCES
1. McNeill RA., RA (1 June 1960). "A History of Tonsillectomy: Two Millenia of Trauma,
Hæmorrhage and Controversy". Ulser Medical Journal 29 (1): 59–63. PMID 20476427.
PMC 2384338

8. 2. Graham, John M.; Glenis K. Scadding, Peter D. Bull (2008). Pediatric ENT. Springer.
pp. 136. ISBN 3540699309
3. Timby, Barbara Kuhn; Nancy Ellen Smith (2006). Introductory medical-surgical
nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 357. ISBN 0781780322.
4. Pemberton, Cecilia M. (1988). Mayo Clinic diet manual. B.C.Decker. ISBN 1556640323.
5. Windfuhr JP, Chen YS, Remmert S. (2005). "Hemorrhage following tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy in 15,218 patients". Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery 132 (2): 281–
86. doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2004.09.007
6. New and Emerging Techniques – Surgical by Royal Australian College of Surgeons
7. Zachary Wassmuth, Eric Mair, Daniel Loube, David Leonard. Cautery-assisted palatal
stiffening operation for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome,
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Jurnal. Vol 123 issue 1 page 55-60.