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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
Improved postoperative pain control in pediatric adenotonsillectomy with dextromethorphan
G S Dawson1, P Seidman, H H Ramadan
1Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-9200, USA.
Design:
A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled protocol.
Setting:
An academic, tertiary care referral center.
Patients:
Forty randomly selected children, ages 3 to 13 years, scheduled for adenotonsillectomy without other simultaneous procedures.
Intervention:
A single, oral dose of dextromethorphan pediatric cough syrup (1 mg/kg) or placebo given 30 minutes before surgery.
Main Outcome Measure:
Total dose requirement of intravenous morphine within a 6-hour postoperative observation period.
Results:
During routine postoperative observation, significantly fewer patients in the dextromethorphan group required no intravenous morphine compared with the placebo group (P =.03). Of those children requiring morphine, the mean dose requirement was significantly lower in the dextromethorphan group (P =.02). There was no known drug-related morbidity.
Conclusion:
Dextromethorphan syrup is a safe, non-narcotic medication that significantly reduced the requirement of intravenous morphine after pediatric adenotonsillectomy. Its routine use in this manner is recommended.
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