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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Published on: November 6, 2019
Comparison of postoperative pain in pediatric patients undergoing coblation tonsillectomy versus cautery
Dwight T Jones1, Margaret A Kenna, Jessica Guidi
1Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. dwight.jones@childrens.harvard.edu
Objective:
To compare postoperative pain scores between monopolar electrocautery and coblation subcapsular tonsillectomy.
Study Design:
Prospective double-blind randomized study.
Setting:
Tertiary care children's hospital.
Subjects And Methods:
Between December 2004 and April 2008, 61 children, ages 4 to 20 years (mean age, 10 years; SD, 4 years), were randomized to have one tonsil removed by electrocautery and the other tonsil removed by coblation. Subjects used the FACES scale to rate pain on each side immediately postoperatively, 2 days postoperatively, and 2 weeks postoperatively. Postoperative hemorrhage was also tracked.
Results:
Coblation tonsillectomy resulted in statistically less pain than electrocautery immediately after surgery, but this difference was not clinically significant.
Conclusions:
Pediatric pain is similar following monopolar electrocautery or coblation subcapsular tonsillectomy.
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