title: Post-tonsillectomy pain and bupivacaine, an intra individual design study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare whether an individual could appreciate the pain relief, if any, in either one of his/her tonsillar fossa topically suffused with a local anaesthetic (bupivacaine).
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of ENT/Head and Neck Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar, from January to June 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six patients of either gender, aged 10-42 years undergoing tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis were enrolled for this study. At the end of surgery, having secured haemostasis, one tonsillar fossa was randomly packed with a gauze piece soaked in 3 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine for 5 minutes, while the other was not. Effects of postoperative analgesia were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) up to 8 hours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of the patients (85%, n=39) failed to experience an appreciable pain relief on the side of local anaesthetic (bupivacaine) application (p=0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Topical application of local anaesthetic (bupivacaine) confers no appreciable pain control in post-tonsillectomy patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Combined Military Hospital, Pano Aqil. draamerhydri@gmail.com
authors.forename: Amer Sabih
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hydri
authors.forename: Sher Muhammad
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012008:Recurrence; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D002045:Bupivacaine