Taste Impairment following Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy: An Unusual Complication

Abstract

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is a relatively safe procedure, but it is nevertheless associated with certain complications. Some of these include throat pain, otalgia, dehydration, hemorrhage, nasopharyngeal stenosis, velopharyngeal insufficiency, burns, soft-tissue injury, dentomandibular trauma, atlantoaxial subluxation, and respiratory compromise. One unusual complication is altered taste. To the best of the author's knowledge, only 29 cases of altered taste associated with palatine tonsillectomy have been previously reported in the literature since 1966. In this article, the author reports a new case and discusses the features of this unlikely complication.