Comparison of radiofrequency and monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency and monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy, regarding operation duration and tonsillectomy morbidity, including post-operative pain and haemorrhage and tonsillar fossa healing, in patients with recurrent chronic tonsillitis. Study design: A prospective, randomised, double-blind, controlled clinical study. Methods: Fifty patients aged over 10 years who required tonsillectomy were randomly assigned to have one tonsil removed by radiofrequency and the other by monopolar electrocautery. Operation duration., post-operative haemorrhage, post-operative pain and tonsillar fossa wound healing were compared. Results: The mean + standard deviation of the operation duration required for the radiofrequency method was significantly longer than that for monopolar electrocautery: 8.1 +/- 1.6 minutes vs 7.3 +/- 1.5 minutes, respectively (p = 0.034). Post-operative haemorrhage was observed in only three patients (13.6 per cent). Inter-group analysis showed no significant differences in post-operative pain scores for the radiofrequency vs monopolar electrocautery methods (3.7 +/- 1.6 vs 3.3 +/- 1.4, respectively; p < 0.126). Inter-group analysis showed that tonsillar fossa wound healing scores evaluated on the fifth, 10th and 14th post-operative days were significantly higher in the radiofrequency group compared with the monopolar electrocautery group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The present Study results indicated that monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy was Superior 10 radiofrequency tonsillectomy in terms of post-operative tonsillar fossa wound healing however, both techniques were comparable in terms of post-operative pain.