[Temperature-controlled radiofrequency-assisted endoscopic tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children]

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery

Background:

• Hypertrophy of tonsils and adenoids is a common condition in children.
• Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are standard surgical procedures for this condition.
• Optimizing surgical techniques to improve outcomes and reduce complications is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of temperature-controlled radiofrequency-assisted endoscopic tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (rT+A) versus conventional tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (cT+A) in pediatric patients.
• To evaluate the impact of rT+A on surgical time, blood loss, postoperative pain, and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study of 47 children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
• Patients were divided into two groups: 24 undergoing rT+A and 23 undergoing cT+A.
• Data collected included surgery duration, bleeding volume, postoperative pain, pseudomembrane duration, hearing assessments, and the OSA-18 quality-of-life questionnaire.

Main Results:

• rT+A procedures were associated with statistically shorter surgery times and significantly less bleeding volume compared to cT+A.
• No significant differences were observed in the duration of postoperative pain or pseudomembrane formation between the groups.
• Hearing improved to normal levels in all patients with conductive hearing loss, and the rT+A group showed a significant decline in OSA-18 scores.

Conclusions:

• Temperature-controlled radiofrequency-assisted endoscopic surgery is an effective method for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children.
• This technique reduces intraoperative bleeding and surgical time without causing additional pain or injury.
• The procedure demonstrates satisfactory outcomes, including improvements in quality of life.