Tonsillectomy 30 years after Paradise: implosion of arguments

Excerpt

Sore throat remains a common disease to be managed by family physicians, pediatricians or otolaryngologists. Patients of all ages present with pain and odynophagia, with fever typically occurring in the pediatric population. It is imperative to decide whether the tonsils are involved or not, since viral inflammation of the entire oropharyngeal mucosa will not respond to antibiotic therapy. Therefore, clinically relevant and validated scores are suggested to decide whether prescription of antibiotic therapy is justified or not [1, 2]. Astonishingly, these considerations are commonly not transferred to tonsillectomy, frequently acknowledged as a simple and minor procedure that will readily eradicate the source of infection in the throat. This misinterpretation of tonsillectomy ignores a guaranteed number of painful days after surgery and the risk of a potentially life-threatening bleeding complication [3]. What is the scientific point of view? …