Subtotal bipolar tonsillectomy does not decrease postoperative pain compared to total monopolar tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a subtotal bovie tonsillectomy decreases postoperative pain following adenotonsillectomy. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was undertaken at a University Pediatric Children's Hospital and included 39 otherwise healthy children, aged 2-12 years, undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Patients were randomized to receive either a subtotal or total removal of the tonsils utilizing an electrocautery technique. The main outcome measures included a visual analog scale (VAS) at rest and while eating, time to take 100 cm(3) of fluid, throat, neck, and ear pain, quantity of liquids, activity level and incidence of emesis and retching. RESULTS: A repeated measures analysis using a repeated measures ANOVA failed to demonstrate a statistically significant impact with either treatment for VAS at rest or while eating (p=0.52 and 0.48, respectively). A repeated measures analysis did not show either procedure significantly affecting throat, neck or ear pain, or liquid quantity. Time to take 100 cm(3) liquids and the incidence of emesis or retching were found not to be statistically significantly different between the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Subtotal tonsillectomy via an electrocautery technique does not reduce postoperative pain or improve outcome parameters. Subtotal tonsillectomy with this technique is not recommended for this patient population.

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone testing: what have we learned?

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The development of rapid, sensitive assays for measuring the intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) molecule has the potential to allow the surgeon to determine the success of parathyroid surgery intraoperatively. The purpose of the study was to review our results in the context of currently held beliefs regarding the ability of the intraoperative iPTH to predict resolution of hyperparathyroidism. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHODS: The study series is a retrospective review of 107 consecutive parathyroidectomies performed by a single surgeon. Patients with primary, secondary, and tertiary hyperparathyroidism were included. RESULTS: The intraoperative assay allowed an overall success rate of 93.4% across all patient categories. The success rate in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism was 95.7%. Measuring the iPTH level at 10 versus 15 minutes after the removal of tissue did not significantly affect the predictive value of the test. A decrease of 50% in the iPTH level after the resection of hyperfunctioning tissue was prognostic of successful treatment of the hyperparathyroid state. By contrast, a postexcision iPTH level that was within the normal range was not always predictive of cure. CONCLUSIONS: The intraoperative iPTH assay is particularly useful in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. The assay eliminates the need for intraoperative frozen-section analysis in most cases and allows the surgeon to perform limited resections with confidence. This is especially true in complicated parathyroid surgeries, such as revision surgeries or those requiring concomitant thyroid surgery. The assay is also useful in secondary hyperparathyroidism, although it appears that the inability to identify small nonfunctional or hypofunctional supernumerary parathyroid glands means that long-term normocalcemia may not be assured.