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Tonsillectomy may cause altered tongue sensation in adult patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2008

A Smithard ,
C Cullen ,
A S Thirlwall  and
C Aldren
A Smithard*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK
C Cullen
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK
A S Thirlwall
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK
C Aldren
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Miss A Smithard, 24d New High Street, Headington, Oxford OX3 7AQ, UK. Fax: 01753 633075 E-mail: abigailsmithard@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives:

To determine the frequency of altered tongue sensation following tonsillectomy, and its relationship to different surgical techniques.

Design:

Case–control study.

Setting:

District general hospital.

Participants:

One hundred and four consecutive adults undergoing tonsillectomy, and 43 control patients.

Main outcome measures:

Altered tongue sensation.

Results:

Twenty-eight of 100 patients described altered tongue sensation post-tonsillectomy. No patients in the control group experienced altered tongue sensation. There was a difference in rates of altered sensation between tonsillectomy patient groups undergoing bipolar diathermy and ‘cold steel’ techniques (p < 0.019). Three months after surgery, 22/23 contactable patients reported complete recovery of tongue sensation. One patient experienced tongue paraesthesia persisting until one year post-tonsillectomy.

Conclusion:

Tonsillectomy resulted in altered tongue sensation in 28 per cent of our study group. Bipolar diathermy dissection was significantly more likely to cause altered sensation than cold steel dissection. Ninety-six per cent of these disturbances resolved by three months, all by one year. Possible alteration of tongue sensation should be discussed whilst obtaining consent for tonsillectomy.

Keywords

TonsillectomyTongueSensationNumbnessComplication
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 123 , Issue 5 , May 2009 , pp. 545 - 549
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2008

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