title: Beneficial effect of low-dose peritonsillar injection of lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy. A placebo-controlled clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most studies investigating the effect of preincisional injection of local anaesthetic with adrenaline in tonsillectomy have used rather large doses and an inter-individual study design. They are inconclusive regarding the effect on post-tonsillectomy pain but have shown that the peroperative blood loss is reduced. However, side effects to high adrenaline doses are common. In the present study, the effect of injecting a small dose of lidocaine-adrenaline was investigated by using an intra-individual study design.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this randomised double-blind study 52 patients (33 women and 19 men) received unilateral preincisional injection of 3-ml lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the difference in blood loss was highly significant with a more than 50% reduction in peroperative blood loss in the infiltrated side. Time to achieve haemostasis for one tonsil side was reduced from 6.0 to 4.0 min. No side effects were observed. At the operation day (mean 4.9 h after operation), the visual analogue scale for pain at the side infiltrated with local anaesthetics was 2.78 compared to 4.00 in the control side (P=0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-dose injection of lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy reduces blood loss and has a small but significant beneficial effect on early postoperative pain. Furthermore our results indicate that operation time is reduced. We therefore recommend subcapsular injection of 3 ml of 1% lidocaine with 1/200.000 adrenaline under each tonsil before tonsillectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. w.trolle@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Waldemar Trolle
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Anna Tomczyk
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Aarup
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonding
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D014066:Palatine Tonsil; D014068:Tonsillectomy
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008012:Lidocaine; D004837:Epinephrine