Coblation versus cold dissection in paediatric tonsillectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pediatric Surgery
• Surgical Techniques

Background:

• Cold dissection is a common tonsillectomy method with low post-operative bleeding.
• Coblation presents an alternative with potential for reduced pain but concerns about increased bleeding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare peri-operative outcomes of coblation versus cold dissection tonsillectomy in pediatric patients.
• To evaluate pain, operative time, and hemorrhage rates for each technique.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of comparative studies on pediatric coblation and cold dissection tonsillectomy.
• Included studies published up to December 2018, excluding adult cases.
• Recorded outcomes included pain, operative time, and intra-operative and post-operative hemorrhages.

Main Results:

• Coblation tonsillectomy demonstrated significantly less pain (p < 0.01) and shorter operative time (p < 0.01).
• Intra-operative blood loss was also significantly lower with coblation (p < 0.01).
• No statistically significant difference was found in post-operative hemorrhage rates between the two techniques (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Coblation tonsillectomy appears to provide superior peri-operative results in pediatric patients compared to cold dissection.
• The coblation technique should be considered for pediatric tonsillectomy before resorting to cold dissection.