Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:41:03.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dissection tonsillectomy: pattern of post-operative pain, medication and resumption of normal activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

P. Murthy  and
M. R. Laing
P. Murthy*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust, Inverness, UK.
M. R. Laing
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust, Inverness, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Mr P. Murthy, F.R.C.S. (ORL), Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust, Inverness 1V2 3UJ.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A prospective study of 99 adults undergoing tonsillectomy was carried out to determine the pattern of post-operative pain, intake of medication and timing of return to work and normal swallowing. The differences in the pain scores, as measured by a visual analogue scale, between every third consecutive day following post-operative day four were found to be highly significant (p<0.001). Sixty-six patients (66.6 per cent) required medication in the form of analgesics and/or antibiotics after the first post-operative day. Sixty-four out of a total of 82 patients (78.2 per cent) returned to work within 14 days of surgery. Ninety-six patients (97 per cent) reported normal swallowing within 14 days of surgery. These results suggest that the majority of adult patients undergoing tonsillectomy can be appropriately advised pre-operatively regarding the probable pattern and duration of post-operative pain and the timescales they can expect to return to work and normal swallowing.

Keywords

TonsillectomyPain, post-operative
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 112 , Issue 1 , January 1998 , pp. 41 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bud, K. (1981) Nonanalgesic drugs in the management of pain. In Persistent Pain: Modern Methods of Treatment. (Lipton, S., Miles, J., eds.), Vol. 3,Grune and Stratton, New York, pp 223–224.Google Scholar
Choy, A. T., Su, A. P. (1992) Bipolar diathermy or ligation for haemostasis in tonsillectomy? A prospective study on post operative pain. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 106: 21–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dempster, J. H. (1988) Post-tonsillectomyanalgesia: the use of benzocaine lozenges. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 102: 813–814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dommerby, H., Rasmussen, O. R. (1984) Diclofenac: Painrelieving effect after tonsillectomy. Acta Otolaryngologica (Stockh) 98: 185–192.Google Scholar
Liu, C.-M., Su, C.-Y. (1996) Post-operative pain control with topical steroid injection after hot dissection tonsillectomy. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 110: 1038–1040.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oas, R. E. Jr., Bartels, J. P. (1990) KTP-532 laser tonsillect omy: a comparison with standard technique. Laryngoscope 100: 385–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Revill, S. I., Robinson, J. O., Rosen, M., Hogg, M. I. J. (1976) The reliability of a linear analogue for evaluating pain. Anaesthesia 31: 1191–1198.Google Scholar
Salassa, J. R., Seaman, S. L., Ruff, T., Lenis, A., Bellens, E. E., Brown, A. K. (1988) Oral dantrolene sodium for tonsillect omy pain: a double-blind study. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 98: 26–33.Google Scholar
Schoem, S. R., Watkins, G. L., Kuhn, J. J., Alburger, J. F., Kim, K. Z., Thompson, D. H. (1993) Control of early post operative pain with bupivacaine in adult local tonsillectomy. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 119: 292–293.Google Scholar
Toma, A. G., Blanshard, J., Eynon-Lewis, N., Bridger, M. W. (1995) Post-tonsillectomy pain: the first 10 days. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 109: 963–964.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weighill, J. S., Proops, D. W., Jeffries, D., Brandrick, J. (1986) Pain relief following tonsillectomy (Does sewing the faucial pillars together help?). Journal of Laryngology and Otology 100: 307–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed