Comparative Study of Bipolar Electrocautery Versus Silk Ligation for Hemostasis During Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy is a commonly performed surgery in otolaryngological practice. Owing to the possibility of postoperative bleeding, it is considered as one of the major surgical procedures. Various techniques have been advocated, however dissection and electrocautery are the most commonly used techniques in tonsillectomy. The objective was to study and compare the relative efficacy using two methods of tonsillectomy- bipolar electrocautery versus silk ligation. This prospective study included 50 patients who underwent tonsillectomy. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. In Group A, left tonsillar fossa haemorrhage was controlled by ligation, while in Group B, bipolar diathermy was used to control bleeding of right tonsillar fossa. Comparison was done in terms of time taken for hemostasis, amount of intra-operative blood loss and post-operative pain. 130 (72.22%) male and 50 (27.77%) females were included. Group A included 20 cases while Group B included 30 cases. The mean time taken for hemostasis in Group A patients was 40.5 ± 4.4 min as compared to 25.3 ± 6.2 min in Group B patients. The mean blood loss on cautery side was 49.5 ± 4.5 ml and that on the ligation side was 68.6 ± 5.3 ml. Post-operative pain was significantly more in Group B patients as compared to Group A patients. Bipolar diathermy is a quicker and faster method to achieve hemostasis with little intraoperative blood loss as compated to silk ligation.