title: Post-operative bleeding is less after partial intracapsular tonsillectomy than bipolar total procedure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare bleeding after partial intracapsular tonsillectomy (PIT) and bipolar diathermy tonsillectomy (BDT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stollery Children's Hospital, tertiary pediatric referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  All children (<or=17 years of age) who had tonsillectomy. Patients who had incomplete information or less than 2-weeks follow-up were excluded.
  
  
  METHODS
  (1) Post-tonsillectomy bleeding, (2) other data collected included demographics, length of follow-up, indication(s) for surgery, other procedures performed, and co-morbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 4.5-year period 677 patients (333 BDT, 344 PIT) were identified in our search, and 77 (38 BDT, 39 PIT) were excluded. The mean age was 7.7+/-3.8 years in the BDT group and 6.5+/-3.2 years in the PIT group. Sex distribution was similar in the 2 groups (chi square p=0.61). Twenty (6.8%) BDT patients experienced post-tonsillectomy bleeding, compared to three (0.98%) of PIT patients (p=0.0001, 95% CI 1.52-2.18, OR=7.32). Over 3 times as many PIT patients (153) had co-morbid conditions than BDT patients (44); this was statistically significant (chi square p<0.00001, 95% CI 1.78-2.38).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PIT results in significantly less post-tonsillectomy bleeding than BDT. These findings favor partial over total techniques with respect to reducing this important complication.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, The Stollery Children's Hospital, Canada.
authors.forename: Kenton
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: Corey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Hamdy
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El-Hakim
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D004564:Electrocoagulation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D055092:Laryngomalacia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*