Comparative study between tonsillectomy done by bipolar diathermy and cold steel method

Abstract

Bipolar forcepsis one of the surgical instruments which is currently used in tonsillectomy beside the conventional blunt dissection technique. Review of literature revealed different methods and complications for tonsillectomy which have been studied thoroughly, but it didn’t reveal convincing evidence regarding the optimal method of performing tonsillectomy. During 2015 and 2016, forty patients have been prepared for tonsillectomy under strict inclusion criteria. They are divided into two equal groups. The first group underwent tonsillectomy with blunt dissection method, and the second group underwent tonsillectomy using bipolar technique. According to statistical analysis and data of our study, bipolar techniquehas more advantages than the cold steel tonsillectomy regarding the reduced intraoperative blood loss, and operative time which indirectly impacts the cost-effectiveness of this procedure. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 14.5 ml with the bipolar technique, while with the cold steel technique it was 18.15 ml. Also, it has been found that the mean operative time was 13.3 minutes with the bipolar technique, and it was 16.25 minuteswith the blunt dissection method. The disadvantages of the bipolar technique include delayed post-operative pain, and prolonged time for healing. It showed a higher mean overall pain score of 5.59/10, if compared with 4.78/10 of the cold steel technique. Regarding the mean time for healing, it was 13.35 days with bipolar technique which is higher than that of cold steel method which was 12 days. In our study, we couldn’t approve a significant difference between two method regarding post-operative hemorrhage and fever.