Impedance-controlled radiofrequency vs. cold dissection tonsillectomy

To compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency (RF) and cold dissection (CD) tonsillectomy.

Prospective, double-blind, controlled clinical study.

One hundred and fourteen patients underwent tonsillectomy. The RF and CD techniques were used for the right and left tonsils, respectively; the patients and examining physicians were blinded to this information to avoid bias. We compared operation times, intraoperative bleeding, and postoperative pain associated with the respective techniques.

The RF and CD techniques required similar operation times. Intraoperative bleeding was lower after RF dissection than after CD. The severity of pain did not differ between the two techniques on postoperative day 1, but was significantly lower for the CD technique than the RF technique on postoperative days 5 and 10.

The RF technique is superior to CD regarding intraoperative bleeding, but not regarding operation time or time to return to a painless dietary regimen.