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Multicentre prospective clinical application of the T14 paediatric outcome tool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2015

C Hopkins
Affiliation:
Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, London, UK
R Almeyda
Affiliation:
John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
H Alreefy
Affiliation:
Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, London, UK
H Ismail-Koch
Affiliation:
Southampton Hospital, Gillingham, UK
J Lim
Affiliation:
Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK
V Possamai
Affiliation:
Birmingham Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
S Powell
Affiliation:
Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
R Sharma
Affiliation:
Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK
I Hore*
Affiliation:
Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, London, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr I Hore, c/o ENT Secretaries, Evelina London Children's Hospital at St Thomas’ Hospital Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK Fax: +44 2071882192 E-mail: ianhoreis@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective:

This study aimed to measure changes in disease-specific quality of life in children following tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy.

Methods:

A multicentre prospective cohort study was performed involving seven ENT departments in England. A total of 276 children entered the study over a 2-month period: 107 underwent tonsillectomy and 128 adenotonsillectomy. Forty-one children referred with throat problems initially managed by watchful waiting were also recruited. The follow-up period was 12 months. Outcome measures were the T14, parental impressions of their child's quality of life and the number of days absent from school.

Results:

One-year follow-up data were obtained from 150 patients (52 per cent). The mean baseline T14 score in the non-surgical group was significantly lower (T14 = 23) than in the tonsillectomy group (T14 = 31) or the adenotonsillectomy group (T14 = 35; p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in the T14 scores of responders in all groups at follow up. The effect size was 1.3 standard deviations (SD) for the non-surgical group, 2.1 SD for the tonsillectomy group and 1.9 SD for the adenotonsillectomy group. Between-group differences did not reach statistical significance. A third of children in the non-surgical group underwent surgery during the follow-up period.

Conclusion:

Children who underwent surgical intervention achieved a significant improvement in disease-specific quality of life. Less severely affected children were managed conservatively and also improved over 12 months, but 1 in 3 crossed over to surgical intervention.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2015 

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Footnotes

Preliminary study data were presented in the short papers section of the British Association of Paediatric Otolaryngology Annual Meeting, 21 September 2012, Sheffield, UK

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