DENVER -- Surgery to remove tonsils can be a very painful experience, especially for children, but a local doctor is using a new procedure to make sure children have quicker, less painful recoveries.

Both of Karin Jonas' children have had their tonsils removed.

"They had their tonsils removed for sleep apnea and difficulty breathing," said Jonas.

Five-year-old Bennett had the traditional tonsillectomy.

"He was in a lot of pain," said Jonas.

Three-year-old Markey had a newer procedure called PITA.

"The recovery was very smooth," said Jonas.

"It's called the PITA, which stands for partial intracapsular tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy," said Dr. Tyler Lewark of Health South Aurora Surgery.

Lewark said a traditional tonsillectomy removes all of the tonsil and exposes the throat muscle.

"A standard tonsillectomy is so uncomfortable because you create a burn on that swallowing muscle when you take that tonsil out," said Lewark.

For the PITA procedure, Lewark uses an instrument called a microdebrider.

It only removes the tonsil partially and leaves a protective shield in tact.

"So afterward when you are swallowing, drinking and eating, it's much, much easier and much less painful," said Lewark. "Typically children after a traditional tonsillectomy hurt for about seven days."

"He didn't want to drink," said Jonas. "He didn't want to eat and he was just lethargic."

"There's no question that children after the PITA procedure have much shorter recovery times," said Lewark.

"A couple hours after the surgery, I was eating lunch in the hospital room and she was asking to eat," said Jonas.

"There's no question it has revolutionized the way we remove tonsils," said Lewark.

The PITA procedure can be performed on children who snore or who have obstructive sleep apnea. It probably will not work for kids with chronic tonsil infections because the technique leaves a small amount of tonsil.

There is a very small chance the tonsil tissue will grow back, requiring another surgery. For more information on the PITA tonsil removal procedure, contact Lewark at 303-750-8500 or visit www.itonsil.com.