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Lip injury prevention during tonsillectomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

A. S. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, St. John’s Hospital at Howden, Livingston UK.
A. El-Hawrani
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, St. John’s Hospital at Howden, Livingston UK.
A. Lodhi
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, West Lothian and the Queens Hospital, Burton-upon-Trent, UK.
A. Thompson
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, West Lothian and the Queens Hospital, Burton-upon-Trent, UK.

Abstract

Patients commonly complain of discomfort at the angle of the mouth following tonsillectomy. This can be attributed to trauma sustained during the procedure. A prospective, patient-blinded, controlled trial of 34 tonsillectomies was performed using a protective, plastic oral guard. A blinded observer recorded postoperative pain and clinically evident trauma to the angle of the mouth. The patient group in whom the guard was used had a significantly lower incidence of labial trauma (p<0.002) and complained of pain less frequently (p<0.002) when compared with a control group in whom no guard was used. The use of a protective lip guard during tonsillectomy is recommended.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2003

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