title: Dissection tonsillectomy: pattern of post-operative pain, medication and resumption of normal activity.
abstract: A prospective study of 99 adults undergoing tonsillectomy was carried out to determine the pattern of post-operative pain, intake of medication and timing of return to work and normal swallowing. The differences in the pain scores, as measured by a visual analogue scale, between every third consecutive day following post-operative day four were found to be highly significant (p < 0.001). Sixty-six patients (66.6 per cent) required medication in the form of analgesics and/or antibiotics after the first post-operative day. Sixty-four out of a total of 82 patients (78.2 per cent) returned to work within 14 days of surgery. Ninety-six patients (97 per cent) reported normal swallowing within 14 days of surgery. These results suggest that the majority of adult patients undergoing tonsillectomy can be appropriately advised pre-operatively regarding the probable pattern and duration of post-operative pain and the timescales they can expect to return to work and normal swallowing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust, Inverness, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Laing
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics