[History of the tonsil surgery].

Abstract

Tonsillectomy is one of the more frequent surgical techniques in the otolaryngological practice. In the first century A. D., Cornelius Celsus in Rome described the removal of the tonsils. Since them, devices used for tonsillectomy included a wide variety of instruments as snares, guillotines, scalpels ("cold" and ultrasonic), forceps and lasers. Likewise, the improvement of the anesthetic procedures and the perioperative management have contributed greatly to success with this surgical procedure. To sum up, the instruments and procedures used for tonsillectomy have evolved to render it a precise operation.