CHILDREN whose tonsils regularly flare up might soon be spared the surgeon鈥檚 knife. Instead, radio waves could zap the tonsil from within, leaving the surface tissue intact. Some surgeons believe this might also preserve the immune functions of the tonsils.
During somnoplasty, probes inserted into the tonsils destroy tissue with radio waves by heating it up to 85 掳C, shrinking the tonsils without damaging their surface. 鈥淭he patient is still sore, but it鈥檚 not as painful as surgery,鈥� says Mark Goble of the Gyrus Group in Reading, Berkshire. Last week, Gyrus won approval in the US to shrink enlarged tonsils in adults and teenagers. A study is now planned in Germany to see if the technique also prevents recurrent infection.