Adult BiZact Tonsillectomy: A Prospective Multicenter Study of Outcomes and Patient-Reported Recovery

To evaluate postoperative outcomes and patient-reported recovery in adult BiZact tonsillectomy.

In this prospective multicenter study, consecutive adults underwent BiZact tonsillectomy at five institutions. Intraoperative variables included tonsil size, adhesion grade, operative time, and estimated blood loss. Patient-reported outcomes were collected preoperatively and on postoperative day 1, week 1, and week 8, including pharyngeal pain and otalgia, oral intake, daily activity, bleeding events, time to complete recovery, and satisfaction. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Tonsillectomy Outcome Inventory-14 (TOI-14) preoperatively and at week 8. Time to complete recovery was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods, and perioperative outcomes were compared by peritonsillar adhesion severity.

Of 220 enrolled patients, 211 (95.9%) were analyzed (mean age 31.7 years; 60.7% female). Mean operative time was 14.7 min and mean blood loss was 6.5 mL. Pharyngeal pain and otalgia peaked at week 1 and improved by week 8 (p < 0.001). TOI-14 improved from 27.6 ± 15.9 to 2.9 ± 5.6 at week 8. Postoperative bleeding was reported in 31 patients (14.7%) and 4 patients (1.9%) required operative hemostasis. Median recovery was 14 days for normal activity and regular diet, and 19 days for complete pain resolution. The mean satisfaction score was 9.2 ± 1.4. Higher adhesion grades increased operative time and blood loss, but did not affect postoperative pain, functional recovery, bleeding rates, or TOI-14 improvement.

BiZact tonsillectomy was associated with acceptable perioperative outcomes and similar patient-reported recovery patterns across adhesion severity groups, although these findings should be interpreted descriptively in the absence of a control group.

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