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CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
Tonsillectomy may cause altered tongue sensation in adult patients
A Smithard1, C Cullen, A S Thirlwall
1Department of Otolaryngology, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK. abigailsmithard@hotmail.com
Objectives:
To determine the frequency of altered tongue sensation following tonsillectomy, and its relationship to different surgical techniques.
Design:
Case-control study.
Setting:
District general hospital.
Participants:
One hundred and four consecutive adults undergoing tonsillectomy, and 43 control patients.
Main Outcome Measures:
Altered tongue sensation.
Results:
Twenty-eight of 100 patients described altered tongue sensation post-tonsillectomy. No patients in the control group experienced altered tongue sensation. There was a difference in rates of altered sensation between tonsillectomy patient groups undergoing bipolar diathermy and 'cold steel' techniques (p < 0.019). Three months after surgery, 22/23 contactable patients reported complete recovery of tongue sensation. One patient experienced tongue paraesthesia persisting until one year post-tonsillectomy.
Conclusion:
Tonsillectomy resulted in altered tongue sensation in 28 per cent of our study group. Bipolar diathermy dissection was significantly more likely to cause altered sensation than cold steel dissection. Ninety-six per cent of these disturbances resolved by three months, all by one year. Possible alteration of tongue sensation should be discussed whilst obtaining consent for tonsillectomy.
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