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Published on: November 6, 2019

Pre-incisional infiltration of tonsils with dexamethasone dose not reduce posttonsillectomy vomiting and pain in

Kamran Montazeri1, Ahmad Okhovat, Azim Honarmand

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Isfahan, Iran.

Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia
|June 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Preincisional dexamethasone infiltration did not significantly reduce postoperative pain or vomiting in children after tonsillectomy. Further research is needed to confirm its limited role in tonsillectomy recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Dexamethasone shows prophylactic effects against postoperative vomiting and pain in pediatric tonsillectomy.
  • Limited research exists on the preemptive analgesic effects of dexamethasone post-tonsillectomy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of pre-incisional tonsil infiltration with dexamethasone on postoperative pain and vomiting in children undergoing tonsillectomy.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind study randomized 62 pediatric patients to receive peritonsillar dexamethasone or saline infiltration before surgery.
  • Pain and vomiting incidence, antiemetic use, and analgesic consumption were compared using various pain scales.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant differences were observed between the dexamethasone and placebo groups regarding pain scores, nausea, vomiting, irritability, or analgesic requirements.
  • Demographic data were similar between the two study groups.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-incisional tonsillar infiltration with dexamethasone appears to have a limited role in the recovery phase following tonsillectomy.
  • Further prospective, randomized studies are recommended to validate these findings.
Abstract

Keywords:
Dexamethasonepostoperative paintonsillectomyvomiting

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