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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 27(04): e694-e698
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1758715
Original Research

Comparison of Three Tonsillectomy Techniques: Cold Dissection, Monopolar Electrocautery, and Coblation

Süheyla Kandemir 
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kırıkkale Yüksek İhtisas Hospital, Kırıkkale, Turkey
,
Ahmet Erim Pamuk 
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Private Practice, Ankara, Turkey
,
Gökçe Özel 
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Private Practice, Ankara, Turkey
,
Ziya Şencan 
3   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kırıkkale University, Faculty of Medicine, Kırıkkale Turkey
› Author Affiliations Funding Sources The present research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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Abstract

Introduction Tonsillectomy is among the most common otolaryngological surgeries.

Objective To evaluate and compare three tonsillectomy techniques: cold steel dissection (CSD), monopolar electrocautery (MEC), and coblation.

Methods The present study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent tonsillectomy between January 2014 and January 2016. Postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, analgesic use, surgical duration, time to return to normal activity, and postoperative bleeding status were noted.

Results The CSD group had less analgesic use and shorter return to normal activity than the MEC group (p = 0.037 and p < 0.001, respectively). The coblation group had lower VAS pain scores than the MEC group only at 1 hour to 4 hours postsurgery (p < 0.016). The postoperative bleeding rate was similar in all groups (p = 0.096).

Conclusion Cold steel dissection tonsillectomy is associated with less postoperative pain and shorter recovery than MEC. Coblation is better than MEC in terms of postoperative pain at 1 hour to 4 hours only, whereas CSD is associated with less postoperative pain than coblation at 2 days to 7 days.

Keywords

tonsillectomy - coblator - cold steel dissection - monopolar cautery - postoperative pain


Publication History

Received: 28 July 2022

Accepted: 24 August 2022

Article published online:
29 March 2023

© 2023. Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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