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Thermal welding technique versus cold dissection for adult tonsillectomy. Objectives: To compare the thermal welding technique (TWT) with cold dissection (CD) for adult tonsillectomy.
Methodology: A prospective, double-blind, non-randomised study was planned for 20 adult patients undergoing tonsillectomy; a total of 16 patients were included for evaluation. In all patients, the right tonsil was removed by TWT, the left tonsil by CD. Indications included chronic tonsillitis with or without upper airway obstruction. Patients with peritonsillar abscess history or bleeding disorders were excluded from analysis. Age, gender, dissection and hemostasis time, intra-operative hemostasis method, post-operative pain using a visual analogue scale, and extent of healing of the tonsillar fossa on the tenth post-operative day were evaluated.
Results: TWT was significantly superior to CD with regard to intra-operative hemostasis (p = 0.029). There were statistically significant differences between the two techniques in a post-operative pain score (p = 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the two techniques in dissection and hemostasis time (p = 0.321), nor in the healing of the tonsillar fossae on the tenth day of the surgery (p = 0.285).
Conclusion: Compared with CD, TWT provides sufficient hemostasis and lower post-operative pain, as assessed in a limited number of adult tonsillectomy cases.