Postoperative quality of life after two different methods of tonsillectomy.
OBJECTIVE
Tonsillectomy is a very painful procedure. Pain may be severe, and patients are often unable to perform in school or eat regular food for a number of days after the surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life after undergoing two different surgical techniques of tonsillectomy, harmonic scalpel and classic tonsillectomy with bipolar cauterization.


METHODS
Prospective randomized double-blind, clinical trial study conducted in the ENT Department, Dr. Josip Benčević General Hospital, Slavonski Brod, Croatia.


METHODS
Data were collected, according to the type of operation, on pain persistence and intensity and returning to normal eating with tonsillectomy patients during the first seven postoperative days. Group A consisted of 50 children submitted to classic tonsillectomy with bipolar cauterization, while group B included 50 children operated on using the harmonic scalpel. Data on pain intensity were obtained using pain measuring scales adjusted to children's age (Faces scales, visual analog scale). The first day of normal oral food intake was recorded.


RESULTS
The analysis of variance revealed that the grade of pain significantly differs by a surgical technique employed, and that it significantly varied over the first seven postoperative days. The pain was more severe after undergoing the harmonic scalpel technique and children started to eat later compared with the classic tonsillectomy.


CONCLUSIONS
The classic tonsillectomy method with bipolar cauterization is the method of choice due to lower postoperative pain levels and sooner normal eating. The quality of life is better after undergoing the classic tonsillectomy method.
Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, General Hospital Dr. Josip Benčević, Andrije Štampara 42, 35000, Slavonski Brod, Croatia, ivana.pajic-penavic@sb.t-com.hr.
Ivana
I
Pajić-Penavić
Davorin
D
Danić
Natalija
N
Mrzljak-Vučinić
Ivo
I
Matić
Zeljka
Z
Vuković-Arar
Marinko
M
Dikanović
D000293:Adolescent; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome