[Low-temperature coblation-assisted versus conventional dissection tonsillectomy in surgeries for children]

To compare low temperature coblation assisted tonsillectomy with conventional dissection tonsillectomy intra-operation and after-operation.

Ninety-two pedia-patients were randomly divided into coblation-assisted tonsillectomy group and the control group. Arthrocine EVac 70 T&A Wand was used for coblation-assisted tonsillectomy, and the energy set was 7. Conventional dissection tonsillectomy was operated in control group. The operating time,bleeding,tonsillar fossae healing and return to normal diet and activities, intraoperative complications were recorded separately. Postoperative pain of the pedia-patients was recorded daily using Wong Baker FACES pain scale for 10 days of after-operation.

Coblation assisted group had a shorter operative time than the control group (10.2 min vs. 36.5 min, P<0.001). The average amount of intraoperative bleeding of Coblation assisted group was (6.83+/-3.36) ml, while the control group was (30.07+/-7.04) ml. Pedia-patients of Coblation group had a better pain score on 1, 2, 3 days after operation than in control group, and there was no statistically significant difference on 4 to 10 days between the two groups. Coblation group ones returned to normal diet earlier than the control group, but both group required similar time returned to normal activities. There was one patient in control group,who required suturing to stop bleeding for active oropharyngeal bleeding on the 6th day after operation.

Comparing with traditional dissection, Coblation assisted tonsillectomy is easy to perform with less intraoperative bleeding, shorter operation time, earlier return to normal diet, less pain on 1st to 3rd day postoperatively.