Published on September 18, 2007 at 10:19 PM
New surgical procedures are being developed that could help to speed healing time and reduce pain for adult patients suffering from chronic tonsillitis.
In a paper presented at the 2007 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, researchers discuss the efficacy of Co2 laser tonsil subtotal ablation and bipolar radiofrequency ablation tonsillectomy as an alternative treatment to conventional cold-steel tonsillectomy. Fifty-two adult patients were randomly assigned to have one tonsil removed with bipolar radiofrequency ablation and the other subtotally ablated (intracapsular vaporization of 80-90 percent of the tonsil) with Co2 laser scanner. Outcome measures included: time to treat each tonsil, blood loss, patient-reported pain intensity measured with a visual analog scale, number of days of pain, day of maximum pain, postoperative hemorrhage, and amount of healing two weeks after surgery.
The results of the study found that both alternatives were more efficient than conventional surgery with regard to pain (three times less), recovery time (six to seven days), bleeding during surgery and offered a one-day procedure period. The findings suggest new protocols for adult tonsillectomy.
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