The cheek expander enables tonsillectomy with a wide view and working space

OBJECTIVE: Tonsillectomy is the most commonly performed otolaryngological surgeries. Although a surgical method had been established, obtaining a clear surgical field still remains problematic, and injury to the corners of the mouth may occur. For safer tonsillectomy, we use a cheek expander coupled with a Davis mouth gag. The devise retract both corners of the mouth to a wide lateral position. We report here our investigation in the application of a cheek retractor for tonsillectomy and also report the advantages of this device. METHODS: A series of 13 tonsillectomies (7 adults and 6 children) using the cheek retractor from November 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled for this study. The cheek retractor was applied after the Davis mouth-opening device was in place. We measured the oral angle diameter before and after placement of the cheek retractor. RESULTS: This devise increases the width of the visual field 1.6 times and provides a good surgical field. In addition, this device covers the mouth fully and safely, so no lip injury develops CONCLUSION: The cheek retractor is useful for improving the narrow working space in tonsillectomy.