CLEVELAND -- Many adults have had their tonsils removed, but times have changed and doctors are going about the procedure a little differently these days.

Fortunately, patients still get all the Popsicles and ice cream they want, but doctors are a little more selective about who gets their tonsils out and why.

Madeline Elardo, 12, isn't afraid to have her tonsils out. She knows her life is probably going to get better. Like many children, her enlarged tonsils had been keeping her from sleeping well at night, which can be a real problem.

"In fact, there have been kids diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (who) don't have ADD," said Dr. Rob Sprecher, of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. "What they have is sleep apnea and they're zoning out in class -- not because of ADD, but because they're not getting a good night's sleep."

Another reason kids get their tonsils out is recurrent strep throat.

Madeline's parents know she's an ideal candidate for a tonsillectomy because of that, too.

"We're looking ahead that this is going to be so much better, so just was a necessary step, a positive thing," her mother said.

Sprecher reported that not a lot has changed about tonsillectomies in the last 60 years, except that doctors used to remove tonsils more often and sooner.

"And so a lot of kids probably got their tonsils out (who) may have never had a problem," he said.

What has also changed is that doctors now have access to tools like an electrical cautery unit, which cuts the tonsils and stops the bleeding at the same time.

"The benefit with that is, it's a little bit faster (and there is) less bleeding, and so it shortens the length of time that kids are asleep," Sprecher said.

As expected, Madeline's parents got good news about their daughter and said she's now experiencing a big difference in her health and quality of sleep, which helps everyone in the Elardo family sleep a little better.

Because of changes in insurance, kids don't spend the night in the hospital anymore. They go home a few hours after the tonsillectomy. But Sprecher said children tend to feel better and more comfortable at home than they would in the doctor's office.