低温等离子扁桃体消融术与常规扁桃体剥离术在儿童手术中的对比研究

目的：比较低温等离子扁桃体消融术与常规扁桃体剥离术对患儿术中、术后的影响。方法：92例患儿,随机分为等离子组和对照组,等离子组用低温等离子射频消融系统连接EVac70T＆A刀头,能量设置为7,消融扁桃体;对照组则采用常规扁桃体剥离术,分别记录2种方法所需时间和出血量;使用Wong—Baker FACES疼痛评分表记录术后第1天至第10天患儿每日咽部疼痛情况,恢复正常饮食和正常活动时间;记录术后并发症。结果：等离子组手术时间比对照组短（分别为10．2min和36．5min,P〈0．01）,等离子组术中平均出血量为（6．83±3．36）ml,而对照组为（30．07±7．04）ml;等离子组患儿术后第1、2、3天疼痛轻于对照组,第4～10天两组差异无统计学意义;等离子组比对照组更早恢复正常饮食,但恢复正常活动时间相似。对照组有1例患儿于术后第6天口咽部有活动性出血,需缝扎止血。结论：低温等离子扁桃体消融术与常规扁桃体剥离术相比,手术时间缩短,出血量极少,手术方法容易掌握,恢复正常饮食时间早,术后前3天疼痛较轻。     

超声刀在扁桃体手术中的应用

目的 比较超声刀扁桃体切除术与常规剥离法扁桃体切除术对患者术中、术后的影响.方法 半随机分组(根据住院号最后一位数字的奇偶数分组),将60例患者分为超声刀组和对照组.超声刀组用超声刀手术系统切除扁桃体,对照组则采用常规剥离法切除扁桃体.记录切除扁桃体所需时间和出血量,手术后扁桃体窝内的伪膜状况,咽部疼痛情况,恢复正常活动时间和正常饮食时间.结果 超声刀组(30例)手术时间比对照组(30例)为短,术中出血量(-x±s)较对照组少[分别为(8.8±4.7)ml和(32.0±12.4)ml],术后疼痛轻于对照组,更早恢复正常饮食,但较对照组伪装膜脱落慢.差异均有统计学意义.结论 超声刀扁桃体切除术与剥离法相比,患者术后疼痛明显减轻,出血量极少,手术方法 容易掌握,但扁桃体窝愈合的时间较长.     

两种扁桃体切除方法的临床观察

目的比较两种不同扁桃体切除及止血方法的优缺点。方法将诊治的90例扁桃体切除术患者随机分为等离子手术组（A组）和传统手术组（B组）,每组各45例,所有手术均由同一术者完成。等离子手术组用低温等离子法切除扁桃体并止血;传统手术组则采用常规扁桃体剥离并用双极电凝止血。记录切除双侧扁桃体所需时间和出血量;术后第1天起每日记录患者咽部疼痛评分情况,连续10 d;术后第10天观察并记录扁桃体窝内的白膜状况。结果A、B两组手术总时间分别为（18.0±1.6）min、（43.5±3.4）min,术中总出血量分别为（9.3±1.3）ml、（53.8±5.5）ml,两组间差异均具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;两组患者术后1周内疼痛指数差异比较具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,1周后疼痛指数比较差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）;A、B两组术后出血发生病例数分别为3例、4例,出血发生率比较差异具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,术后比较,A、B两组白膜与扁桃体窝面积比分别为（43.8±6.6）%、（40.5±5.1）%,两组之间差异无统计学意义,但等离子组白膜较为清洁。结论与传统扁桃体剥离法比较,低温等离子法切除扁桃体具有手术损伤小、术中出血少、术后疼痛轻、恢复好等优点,可作为扁桃体切除手术的首选。     

三种不同扁桃体切除术疗效比较

目的 探讨比较冷器械切除+缝合术、单极电凝切除术、等离子射频术三种不同手术方法切除扁桃体的疗效。 方法 将扁桃体切除术患者分为三组,冷器械切除+缝合术(A组)65例;单极电凝切除术(B组)40例;等离子射频切除术(C组)38例。记录扁桃体切除手术总时间、术中出血量、疼痛评分,术后复查时观察扁桃体白膜状况。 结果 A、B、C三组的平均手术时间分别为58.8 min、27.0 min、23.7 min;术中平均出血量分别为34.2 mL、16.1 mL、12.5 mL;术后3 h和术后第1天的疼痛评分之间,差异均有统计学意义。 结论 与冷器械切除+缝合术和单极电凝切除术相比,等离子射频术切除扁桃体费用较高,但其手术时间短,术中出血量少,术后疼痛程度小。     

低温等离子刀与双极电凝在扁桃体切除术中的疗效比较

目的比较低温等离子射频消融术与双极电凝法对扁桃体切除术患者的临床疗效。方法选取我院于2012年6月-2014年8月收治的82例行双侧扁桃体切除术的成人患者为研究对象,将其分为观察组与对照组,观察组采用低温等离子刀切除扁桃体,对照组采用双极电凝切除扁桃体。比较两组扁桃体切除时间、术中出血量、术后疼痛程度、恢复正常饮食时间、假膜脱落时间。结果观察组切除扁桃体手术时间、术中出血量均较对照组少,且比对照组更早恢复正常饮食,术后疼痛也较对照组轻,假膜脱落时间也短于对照组,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论低温等离子刀切除扁桃体具有术中出血少、手术时间短、安全有效等优势,值得临床推广应用。     

低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术与传统扁桃体剥离术疗效的比较

目的:比较分析低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术与传统扁桃体剥离术的疗效。方法:将64例慢性扁桃体炎患者随机分为传统扁桃体剥离术(传统手术组)和低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术(等离子手术组)2组。传统手术组39例采用传统扁桃体剥离术治疗,等离子手术组25例采用低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术治疗。分析2组手术方式在手术时间、术中出血量、术后疼痛时间、术后出血发生概率上有无差异。结果:传统手术组与等离子手术组在手术时间、术中出血量、术后疼痛时间上差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);2组术后出血发生概率差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术较传统扁桃体剥离术手术时间短,术中出血少,术后疼痛轻,恢复快,安全性高。     

CO_2激光扁桃体切除术的临床研究

目的:探讨CO2激光切除扁桃体的临床疗效。方法:随机将102例患者分为CO2激光组和对照组。CO2激光组用CO2激光系统切除扁桃体;对照组则采用常规剥离法切除扁桃体,手术均由同一术者完成。观察并记录两侧扁桃体切除所需手术时间、术中出血量、术后疼痛时间及程度、术后创面反应程度、创面修复时间(假膜出现及脱落时间)、术后再出血、术后术区瘢痕共7项指标。结果:CO2激光组手术时间较对照组短;CO2激光组术中平均出血量(7.2±2.1)ml,而对照组为(92.0±35.0)ml;CO2激光组术后疼痛及创面反应程度均轻于对照组;CO2激光组较对照组假膜出现时间早、脱落晚;两组均无术后再出血患者;术后12周动态观察CO2激光组与对照组术区瘢痕情况,仅对照组有2例(3.92%)出现明显术区瘢痕。结论:CO2激光扁桃体切除术出血量少,术后疼痛小,反应轻,手术方法易掌握,是扁桃体切除术中一种安全、有效、微创的术式。     

低温等离子射频扁桃体部分切除术与传统扁桃体剥离术治疗儿童OSAHS的比较分析

目的 探讨低温等离子射频消融扁桃体部分切除术在治疗儿童阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征（OSAHS）扁桃体肥大的手术优势。方法 2006年1月至2007年12月采取传统剥离法切除扁桃体治疗儿童OSAHS中伴扁桃体肥大的患者1010例;2007年12月至2009年12月采取低温等离子射频消融法行包膜内扁桃体部分切除治疗1002例。对比2组手术时间、术中出血量、术后次日疼痛指数及住院天数。结果 低温等离子射频消融扁桃体部分切除术组的手术时间、术中出血量、术后次日疼痛指数及住院天数均低于传统剥离扁桃体切除术组(P＜0.05)。结论 低温等离子射频消融扁桃体部分切除术治疗儿童OSAHS的扁桃体肥大优于传统剥离方法。     

超声刀在扁桃体切除手术中的应用

目的 通过与常规扁桃体剥离术比较,探讨超声刀辅助扁桃体切除术的优缺点.方法 88例成人扁桃体切除适应证患者分为超声刀组(42例)和对照组(46例).超声刀组通过超声刀行扁桃体切除术,对照组则采用常规扁桃体剥离术.记录完整切除扁桃体所用的时间和术中出血量、术后咽痛等情况.结果 超声刀组平均((x-)±s,下同)手术时间(14.7 ±4.0) min比对照组(28.9 ±.7.6)min短,术中出血量(3.1±1.1)ml较对照组(19.0 ± 5.2) ml少,差异均具有统计学意义(t值分别为-10.691和-19.544,P值均＜0.05).超声刀组术后当天10 h内疼痛轻于对照组,但术后3d后咽痛较对照组明显,多数患者持续时间较长(秩和检验P值均＜0.05).常规剥离法扁桃体白膜脱落平均时间为术后8d,而超声刀组平均为11d,两者比较差异有统计学意义(t=5.115,P＜0.05).结论 超声刀扁桃体切除术具有手术时间短、术中出血量少等优点,但术后咽痛症状存留时间较长,且白膜脱落时间迟,需避免饮食不当造成继发性出血.     

低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术与传统扁桃体剥离术疗效观察及对炎性因子水平的影响

目的探讨低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术与传统扁桃体剥离术的疗效及对炎性因子水平的影响。方法分析2017年2月到2017年8月80例在我院接受扁桃体剥离术患者的临床资料,按照手术方法的不同分为两组,观察组(低温等离子刀剥离术组)40例,对照组(传统扁桃体剥离术)40例,比较两组患者术后临床指标、并发症发生情况及手术前后血清白细胞介素-6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)及超敏C-反应蛋白(hs-CRP)水平。结果观察组患者手术时间、出血量、住院时间、恢复正常饮食时间、术后VAS评分、平均疼痛时间明显低于对照组,观察组患者伪膜脱落时间长于对照组,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05);观察组患者术后并发症发生率明显低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(4/40,10%vs 14/40,35%;χ2=7.168,P=0.007);观察组患者术后IL-6、TNF-α及hs-CRP水平明显低于对照组,差异均具有统计学差异(P0.05)。结论与传统扁桃体切除术相比,低温等离子刀扁桃体切除术可以明显减少手术时间、术中出血量,减轻术后疼痛感及炎症反应,有助于患者术后恢复,具有较好的推广价值。     

Paediatric coblation tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Tonsillectomy has been described using a number of techniques. Recently Coblation Technology has been used to remove tonsils with anecdotal evidence of a reduction in post-operative morbidity. In this study we aim to see if there is any difference in post-operative pain, tonsillar fossae healing and return to a normal diet performing tonsillectomy, using tissue coblation compared with standard bipolar dissection. METHODS: A double blind randomised control trial to compare the technique of tissue coblation with standard bipolar dissection to remove tonsils in 38 children on the waiting list for tonsillectomy, with a history of chronic tonsillitis or obstructive tonsils. RESULTS: A significant reduction in post-operative pain was found in the children whose tonsils were removed by tissue coblation (P<0.0001). More rapid healing of the tonsillar fossae was found in the coblation group. Children who had their tonsils removed by coblation were found to return to their normal diet far sooner than those who underwent bipolar dissection. There were no episodes of primary or secondary haemorrhage in either group. CONCLUSIONS: This new technique using tissue coblation for tonsil removal offers significant advantages in the post-operative period, with rapid return to a normal diet and a drastic reduction in analgesic requirements following the surgery.     

Coblation versus unipolar electrocautery tonsillectomy: a prospective, randomized, single-blind study in adult patients

OBJECTIVES: To determine if the coblation tonsillectomy (subcapsular dissection) results in less postoperative pain, equivalent intraoperative blood loss, equivalent postoperative hemorrhage rates, and faster healing compared with tonsillectomy was performed using unipolar electrocautery in adult patients. STUDY DESIGN: The authors conducted a prospective clinical trial. METHODS: Forty-eight patients underwent tonsillectomy and were randomly assigned to have one tonsil removed with coblation and the other with unipolar electrocautery. Outcome measures included time to remove each tonsil, intraoperative blood loss, patient-reported pain, postoperative hemorrhage, and amount of healing 2 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: Mean time to remove a single tonsil with coblation and electrocautery was 8.22 minutes and 6.33 minutes, respectively (P = .011). Mean intraoperative blood loss for each technique was less than 10 mL. Postoperative pain was significantly less with coblation as compared with electrocautery: 18.6% less painful during the first week of recovery. Seventy percent of blinded patients identified the coblation side as less painful during the overall 14-day convalescent period. Postoperative hemorrhage rates (2.1% for coblation and 6.2% for electrocautery) were not significantly different. No difference in tonsillar fossa healing was observed between the two techniques 2 weeks after surgery. During nine of the 48 surgeries, wires on the tip of the coblation handpiece experienced thinning to the point of discontinuity while removing a single tonsil. CONCLUSIONS: Coblation subcapsular tonsillectomy was less painful than electrocautery tonsillectomy in this 48-patient group. On average, intraoperative blood loss was less than 10 mL for both techniques. Postoperative hemorrhage rates and the degree of tonsillar fossa healing were similar between the two techniques. The coblation handpiece experienced degradation of vital wires in 18% of cases necessitating the use of a second, new handpiece.     

Coblation tonsillectomy versus dissection tonsillectomy: postoperative hemorrhage

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Coblation tonsillectomy is a recently introduced surgical technique. To measure its benefits against traditional tonsillectomy techniques, it is necessary to compare their complication rates. The study aims to identify differences in reactionary and secondary hemorrhage proportions, comparing coblation with dissection tonsillectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. METHODS: Rates of reactionary and delayed postoperative hemorrhage were measured, comparing 844 coblation tonsillectomies with a control group of 743 tonsillectomies performed by blunt dissection with bipolar diathermy hemostasis. RESULTS: The secondary hemorrhage rate with coblation-assisted tonsillectomy was 2.25% compared with 6.19% in the control group (P <.05). The rate of secondary hemorrhage in children following coblation tonsillectomy was 0.95% compared with 4.77% in the control group (P <.05). The difference was also significant (P <.05) in the adult population (4.40% vs. 8.81%, respectively). No difference was found in the reactionary hemorrhage proportions. CONCLUSION: In the study, coblation tonsillectomy was associated with a lesser incidence of delayed hemorrhage, more significantly in the pediatric population. The new technique using tissue coblation for tonsil dissection offers significant advantages in the postoperative period compared with dissection tonsillectomy with bipolar diathermy hemostasis. Coblation is associated with less postoperative pain and early return to daily activities. Also, there are fewer secondary infections of the tonsil bed and significantly lower rates of secondary hemorrhage with coblation. These results and the disposable nature of the coblation equipment promote coblation tonsillectomy as the authors' preferred dissection method.     

Coblation vs. Electrocautery Tonsillectomy: A Prospective Randomized Study Comparing Clinical Outcomes in Adolescents and Adults

Objectives

Coblation is operated in low temperature, so it is proposed that tonsillectomy with coblation involves less postoperative pain and allows accelerated healing of the tonsillar fossae compared with other methods involving heat driven processes. However, the results of the previous studies showed that the effect of coblation tonsillectomy has been equivocal in terms of postoperative pain and hemorrhage. Though, most of the previous studies which evaluated coblation tonsillectomy were performed in children. Recently, electrocautery tonsillectomy has been used most widely because of the reduced intraoperative blood loss and shorter operative time compared to other techniques. This prospective study compared intraoperative records and postoperative clinical outcomes in adolescents and adults following coblation and electrocautery tonsillectomies.

Methods

Eighty patients over 16 years of age with histories of recurrent tonsillitis were enrolled. The patients were randomly allocated into coblation (n=40) and electrocautery tonsillectomy groups (n=40). All operations were performed by one surgeon who was skilled in both surgical techniques. Intraoperative parameters and postoperative outcomes were checked.

Results

Postoperative pain and otalgia were not significantly different between the two groups; however, there was a tendency towards reduced pain and otalgia in the coblation group. More cotton balls for swabbing the operative field were used introoperatively in the electrocautery group (P=0.00). There was no significant difference in postoperative hemorrhage, wound healing, commencement of a regular diet, and foreign body sensation between the groups.

Conclusion

Only cotton use, which represented the amount of blood loss, was less in the coblation tonsillectomy group. Coblation tonsillectomy warrants further study with respect to the decreased postoperative pain and otalgia.     

A pilot randomized controlled trial of coblation tonsillectomy versus dissection tonsillectomy with bipolar diathermy haemostasis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare postoperative recovery in children between 4 and 12 years undergoing tonsillectomy, using either coblation tonsillectomy or dissection tonsillectomy with bipolar diathermy haemostasis. DESIGN: A prospective, single blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: ENT clinic, University Teaching Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty paediatric patients, aged between 4 and 12 years and between 16 and 60 kg in weight with standard indication for tonsillectomy. METHODS: Patients were randomly allocated to either coblation tonsillectomy or dissection tonsillectomy groups. Patients, parents, and nurses were blinded for operation method. Parents were asked to fill out a postoperative diary from 1 to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were scored for postoperative pain, nutrition, activity, and use of analgetics for each of the 10 postoperative days. Secondary outcomes were estimated from the nurses' postoperative data and 10-day follow-up statistics regarding crossing of the two-score limit. RESULTS: The groups were statistically comparable by age, weight and operation type. There was no significant difference in operation time in two groups. Intra-operative bleeding was significantly less in the coblation group. Statistically significant differences between dissection tonsillectomy and coblation tonsillectomy were found in the day when a score of two of five was passed in pain scores (9.6 versus 6.2), nutrition scores (8.9 versus 6.6), activity score (8.4 versus 6.6) and medicine intake (9.4 versus 6.4), We found parallelism, between regression lines, that indicates better postoperative life quality for the coblation tonsillectomy group and approximately 2 days' shorter recovery time. CONCLUSION: In our pilot study, patients undergoing coblation tonsillectomy reported less pain, quicker return to normal diet, quicker return to normal activity, and less use of analgetics over a 10-day period than patients undergoing dissection tonsillectomy. Our results indicate that the recovery period for coblation tonsillectomy was approximately 2 days shorter and demonstrated less morbidity.     

等离子扁桃体切除术与单极电刀扁桃体切除术的Meta分析

目的通过Meta分析的方法对等离子与单极电刀扁桃体切除术的效率、疗效及安全性进行比较,为临床治疗选择提供依据。方法电子检索Pubmed、Embase、Cochrane Library、维普、清华同方、万方、中国生物医学等数据库,获取等离子扁桃体切除术与单极电刀扁桃体切除术前瞻性随机对照研究的相关资料。用RevMan5．2统计软件对两种术式的术后出血、术后疼痛、手术时间、术中出血、术后恢复等指标进行分析比较,并进行系统评价及Meta分析。结果共有10篇文献（合计病例716例）纳入本研究。合并统计结果表明,两种术式的术后出血率[OR=1．02,95％C1（0．51,2．03）]、术后疼痛[SMD=-0．55,95％CI（-1．19,0．08）]、手术时间[SMD=0．60,95％C1（-0．08,1．28）]及术中出血量[SMD=0．34,95％c,（-0．02,0．69）]比较,差异均无统计学意义。术后活动恢复两者相当,等离子组患者能更快恢复正常饮食。结论相对单极电刀扁桃体切除术,等离子扁桃体切除术后饮食恢复较快;在术后出血、术后疼痛、手术时间、术中出血及术后活动恢复等方面无显著优势。     

Safety and efficacy of pressure-assisted tissue-welding tonsillectomy: a preliminary evaluation

We conducted a retrospective study of the safety and efficacy of a new pressure-assisted tissue-welding technology (ENTceps; Starion Instruments Corp.; Sunnyvale, Calif) for total tonsillectomy, either alone or with adenoidectomy. The use of this instrument was compared in two groups of patients categorized by age. The younger group was made up of 50 patients aged 2 to 12 years who had undergone total tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A), and the older group was made up of 50 patients aged 13 to 47 years who had undergone either T&A or isolated total tonsillectomy. The primary safety endpoint was the presence or absence of intra- or postoperative complications-particularly the amount of intraoperative blood loss and the incidence of delayed postoperative bleeding. In each group, the mean amount of intraoperative blood loss was no more than 30 ml, and only 2 of the 100 patients experienced postoperative hemorrhage. Among the efficacy parameters were the amount of operating and recovery time and the postoperative appearance of the tonsillar fossae. The mean operating time was 13.0 minutes in the younger group and 19.5 minutes in the older group, and the mean total recovery times were 120.0 and 130.4 minutes, respectively; all tonsillar fossae were well epithelialized by 2 weeks after surgery. Finally, surgical morbidity was determined on the basis of the amount of perioperative pain medication administered, the number of unscheduled patient telephone contacts and clinic visits, and the amount of time needed to return to a normal diet and activities. Nine patients in the younger group and 6 in the older group required no pain medications during recovery; overall, pain was not a significant issue for most patients. Sixteen patients made a total of 20 telephone calls and 8 clinic visits prior to their scheduled postoperative appointment; almost all of these encounters dealt with postoperative pain. Only 1 patient, who had previously undiagnosed von Willebrand disease, had not returned to a normal diet and activities by the end of 1 week. Based on our preliminary findings-and a comparison of our results with those of other studies published in the literature relative to the amount of intraoperative bleeding, the incidence of postoperative bleeding, and operating times--we conclude that pressure-assisted tissue-welding technology is safe and compares favorably with other tonsillectomy techniques. This method of electrocautery is straightforward and relatively easy to learn.     

Radiofrequency tonsil reduction: safety,morbidity, and efficacy

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, morbidity, and efficacy of radiofrequency tissue volume reduction of tonsils using two different surgical techniques and to compare these two techniques with each other and with classic tonsillectomy. STUDY DESIGN: A nonrandomized retrospective review of tonsil reductions was made between 2000 and 2002 using in vivo studies associated with tonsil reduction and tonsillectomy performed either in the hospital operating room or in the outpatient treatment area. METHODS: We studied 150 patients and divided them into three main groups based on surgical technique. Group A consisted of 50 consecutive patients who underwent tonsil "ablation," Group B contained another 50 consecutive individuals who received tonsil "coblation," and Group C consisted of 50 patients who underwent classic tonsillectomy (cold dissection). Each group consisted of two subcategories of children (age range, 1-12 y) and adults (age range, 12-60 y) with chronic tonsillar hypertrophy. Most of the pediatric patients underwent adenoidectomy during the same surgical procedure. Indications for tonsillectomy were those listed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. A retrospective chart review was used to assess procedures, safety, morbidity, and efficacy of tonsil reduction and tonsillectomy. Four specific end points of morbidity were investigated: pain, return to normal diet, return to normal activity, and use of pain medication. Efficacy of tonsillectomy was determined by the clinical observation of the remaining tonsillar tissue and compared with pretreatment photographs of the tonsils. RESULTS: There were no complications in any of the groups. Efficacy was assessed based on the mean tonsil reduction and was found to be 100% for tonsillectomy, 86% for the tonsil coblation technique, but only 53.6% for the ablation technique. Morbidity was minimal in groups A and B and significantly greater in Group C. The number of pain days, narcotic-use days, and days before return to normal diet and activity were greatly reduced in groups A and B when compared with classic tonsillectomy (group C). Pain levels on day 1 were less than 3 (on a scale of 1-10) in groups A and B. The number of pain days and narcotic-use days was less than 4 days in groups A and B. Similarly, most patients returned to solid diet and normal activity by day 4. Pain levels, number of narcotic-use days, and number of days to return to normal diet and activity were significantly higher for classic tonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Tonsil coblation has distinct advantages when compared with tonsil ablation and standard tonsillectomy. Tonsil coblation resulted in greater than 86% elimination of tonsillar tissue in both children and adults. In most patients, pain levels were minimal and limited to the first 48 hours after surgery. Return to normal diet and activity was much earlier in the coblation group versus classic tonsillectomy.     

Coblation tonsillectomy: a double blind randomized controlled study

Tonsillectomy has been performed by a number of techniques. This double blind randomized controlled study compares the technique of tissue coblation with bipolar dissection for the removal of tonsils in 10 adult patients with a history of chronic tonsillitis. A significant reduction in post-operative pain and more rapid healing of the tonsillar fossae were found in the side removed by tissue coblation. There were no episodes of primary or secondary haemorrhage on either side. This new technique for tonsil removal warrants further study.