That hypertrophied and infected adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils) may be of importance in adults has been noted.1
Local anesthesia for tonsillectomy is being more widely used, and that its advantages should be sacrificed when performing adenoidectomies seems wrong. Nevertheless, adenoidectomy under topical anesthesia alone is very painful; it is a shock to any but hardy nerves, and is apt to be incomplete because the surgeon does not wish to punish his patient with the repeated attempts and digital exploration usually required for a thorough operation. I speak from personal experience in three painful operations of this kind, in the first two of which the results were unsatisfactory.
The following technic gives as complete anesthesia for adenoidectomy as has been obtained in tonsillectomy.
METHOD
The pharynx is anesthetized as for tonsillectomy. With a curved metal applicator, the nasopharynx is swabbed transorally with cocaine in the strength preferred. The inferior turbinate is