title: Tonsillectomy for recurrent sore throats in children: indications, outcomes, and efficacy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a comprehensive narrative review of the literature to provide a better understanding of the indications, outcomes, and efficacy of tonsillectomy for recurrent sore throats in children. This article explores the reasons why there is a lack of robust clinical evidence for its efficacy despite good evidence of positive reported outcomes from parents of children who undergo the procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles published between 1960 and July 2013 were searched in PubMed and Cochrane databases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A narrative review method was adopted to provide a comprehensive overview of articles. Only individual, interventional studies on children (0-16 years old) undergoing tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy for recurrent sore throats with greater than 1 month of follow-up were included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inclusion criteria and outcome measures in the studies were varied, but most investigated changes in symptoms related to sore throats or illness episodes. Quality-of-life tools validated for measuring pediatric outcomes were used in a number of more recent studies. None of the outcome measures were specific for recurrent sore throats in children. No qualitative method designed studies were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The disparity between parental satisfaction rates and published clinical efficacy can be explained by a lack of parent/child outcome measures specific to tonsillectomy for recurrent sore throats. A more parent/child-centered approach may establish what tonsillectomy could offer this group of children.
authors: Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Barraclough
authors: Shahram
authors: S
authors: Anari
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D014068:Tonsillectomy
keywords: efficacy; indications; outcome measures; quality of life; tonsillectomy