Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
A double-blinded randomized controlled trial of coblation versus conventional dissection tonsillectomy on
C M Philpott1, D C Wild, D Mehta
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK. carl.phillpot@btopenworld.com
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to compare postoperative symptoms following coblation tonsillectomy with those experienced following a traditional cold dissection.
Design:
A prospective randomized controlled trial.
Setting:
Secondary otorhinolaryngology care.
Participants:
Ninety-two adult patients with recurrent tonsillitis meriting tonsillectomy were recruited and randomly allocated into either coblation or cold dissection tonsillectomy groups.
Main Outcome Measures:
Primary outcomes were post-operative pain, otalgia, swallowing and analgesia use at 6-8 hours, 1, 3, 7 and 14 days post-operative. Secondary outcomes were post-operative day returned to eating and returned to normal activities/work.
Results:
No significant differences between the two groups (P >or= 0.1) were found in any of the above primary outcomes, apart from swallowing at 6-8 hrs post-operatively where the cold dissection group had less pain. This group also returned earlier to normal eating (P = 0.03). The power of the study was sufficient to show a difference in the visual analogue scores of 2 between groups.
Conclusions:
The use of coblation to perform tonsillectomy does not confer any symptomatic benefits to the patient over conventional cold dissection tonsillectomy.
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