Postoperative Complications in Lingual Versus Palatine Tonsillectomies

The aim of this study was to investigate the risks of lingual tonsillectomy (LT) in a large cohort and compare these risks to those of palatine tonsillectomy (PT).

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the United States collaborative network within TriNetX. The LT group was defined using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 42870 and PT group using CPT codes 42820, 42821, 42825, or 42826. Groups were further subdivided into pediatric and adult populations and matched based on propensity scores within the cohorts. Complications occurring within 14 days of procedure were compared within each cohort.

There were 1,357 adult patients (mean age, 42.9 years) and 863 pediatric patients (mean age, 8.1 years). Adults who had LT were more likely to experience postoperative dysphagia (OR = 2.6, p < 0.001) and require admission to the hospital (OR = 4.3, p < 0.001) or intensive care unit (OR = 6.1, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in bleeding between adult PT and LT groups, occurring at rates of 3.8% and 4.4%, respectively (p = 0.50). Pediatric patients who had LT were also more likely to experience postoperative dysphagia (OR = 2.4, p = 0.017) and require admission to the hospital (OR = 8.2, p < 0.001) or intensive care unit (OR = 2.7, p = 0.012). The postoperative bleed rate was 3.2% in the pediatric PT cohort, which was 2.4 times higher compared to those who underwent LT (1.5%, p = 0.016).

Postoperative complications after lingual tonsillectomy are more common than after palatine tonsillectomy in both adults and children.

3 Laryngoscope, 135:1054-1059, 2025.