Effect of monopolar diathermy power settings on postoperative pain, wound healing, and tissue damage after tonsillectomy: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of varying monopolar diathermy power settings on postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and wound healing following tonsillectomy. A single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical study was conducted. During bilateral tonsillectomy procedures, one tonsil received low-power settings (15 W, cutting/blend) while the other tonsil received high-power settings (35 W, cutting/blend). Postoperative pain scores (0–10) and wound healing scores (0–3) were evaluated immediately after surgery and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks postoperatively using the visual analog scale. Additionally, histological analysis was performed on electrically resected tonsil tissues to assess tissue damage in the tonsil bed. The allocation of high and low power settings to each side was randomized. Results showed that 1 week after the surgery, the high-power group experienced significantly higher pain scores (mean ± standard deviation: 4.84 ± 2.21) compared to the low-power group (3.56 ± 2.24, p = 0.049). Moreover, the high-power side exhibited slower wound healing during the initial 1–2 weeks postoperatively, as indicated by lower wound scores at 2 weeks (high-power: 1.96 ± 0.64; low-power: 2.43 ± 0.59, p = 0.008). Furthermore, histological analysis revealed significantly deeper tissue degradation on the high-power side compared to the low-power side (p < 0.001), with mean depths of 565.2 ± 291.0 µm and 156.0 ± 36.8 µm, respectively. In conclusion, these findings suggest that when employing monopolar diathermy in tonsillectomy, lower power settings can lead to improved outcomes in terms of postoperative pain, wound healing, and tissue damage.

Trial registration: CRIS identifier: KCT0005670 (cris.nih.go.kr, registration date: 11/12/2020).