Microdebrider tonsillotomy vs electrosurgical tonsillectomy: a randomized, double-blind, paired control study of postoperative pain

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether microdebrider intracapsular tonsillotomy (MT) results in less postoperative pain compared with electrosurgical extracapsular tonsillectomy (ET). DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, matched pair, clinical trial. SETTING: Specialty care hospital.Patients Twelve male (48%) and 13 female (52%) children aged 5 to 15 years, with obstructive tonsillar hyperplasia were randomized to have one tonsil removed by MT and the other by ET. INTERVENTIONS: An angled endoscopic microdebrider was used to perform MT, and ET was performed by standard monopolar cautery technique. Parents and children were blinded to the side of MT and ET. Children rated the pain 0 to 5 by side using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised. Blinded data collection was via telephone daily for 2 weeks by a study nurse. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: postoperative pain as recorded by Faces Pain Scale-Revised; secondary, presence or absence of otalgia and postoperative bleeding. RESULTS: Twenty-two children (88%) had tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, while 3 children (12%) had tonsillectomy alone. On postoperative days 1 to 9, children reported significantly less pain on the MT side compared with the ET side (paired t test; P<.01). By postoperative days 10 to 14, the difference between sides disappeared. Twenty children (80%) reported otalgia, and it was always unilateral. For those children reporting otalgia, there was a 100% correlation between the side of otalgia and the side of ET. There was no posttonsillectomy bleeding among the 25 children. CONCLUSION: Microdebrider intracapsular tonsillotomy is significantly less painful compared with electrosurgical ET in children undergoing surgical intervention for obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy.