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Laurence Chu, MD, FACS
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Coblation Tonsillectomy
Coblation is a unique, targeted method of tissue removal that uses radiofrequency (RF) energy. Unlike other forms of electrical surgery, Coblation produces very little heat, so damage to adjacent tissue is minimized.
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Coblation does not completely remove the tonsil. There will be some remaining tonsil tissue.
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Most radiofrequency electrosurgical techniques use a heat driven process to ablate or cut tissue. High amounts of energy are discharged into tissue causing tissue structures to explode at high temperatures. During this process, surrounding tissue can be inadvertently charred or burned. The Coblation process, in contrast, is a controlled, non-heat driven process. With Coblation technology, radiofrequency (RF) energy is applied to a conductive medium (usually saline), causing a highly focused plasma field to form around the energized electrodes. The plasma field is comprised of highly ionized particles. These ionized particles have sufficient energy to break organic molecular bonds within tissue. The by-products of this non-heat driven process are elementary molecules and low molecular weight inert gases. Instead of exploding tissue, Coblation causes a low temperature molecular disintegration. The result is volumetric removal of target tissue with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.
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The decrease in the duration and intensity of the pain following tonsillectomy with Coblation is significant. Many patients can eat the following day or at least by day #3, in contrast to a traditional tonsillectomy, needing 7 to 10 days.
As 90-95% of the tonsil tissue is removed, there exists a theoretical chance that the focus of the infection has not been removed. To date, this concern has not been realized.
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