Tonsillotomy versus Tonsillectomy for Chronic Recurrent Tonsillitis in Children.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pediatric Surgery

Background:

• Recurrent tonsillitis is a common condition in children, often leading to antibiotic use and impacting quality of life.
• Surgical interventions like tonsillotomy (TT) and tonsillectomy (TE) are considered for managing recurrent tonsillitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and safety of tonsillotomy (TT) using bipolar technique versus total tonsillectomy (TE) using blunt dissection for treating recurrent tonsillitis in children.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 393 pediatric patients with recurrent tonsillitis.
• Patients underwent either TT (174) or TE (219).
• Postoperative follow-up included infection recurrence rates, parental satisfaction questionnaires, and monitoring for complications like bleeding over 12-48 months.

Main Results:

• One-year infection recurrence rates were similar between TT (8.1%) and TE (5.4%) groups (p=0.281).
• Postoperative bleeding within 24 hours was significantly lower in the TT group (1.6%) compared to the TE group (5.4%) (p=0.001).
• No fatalities were reported in either surgical group.

Conclusions:

• Both tonsillotomy and total tonsillectomy demonstrate comparable effectiveness in managing recurrent tonsillitis in children.
• Tonsillotomy offers a significant advantage by reducing the risk of postoperative bleeding compared to total tonsillectomy.