Figure 3: PRISMA flow diagram
The Medline literature research was performed according to the validated PRISMA recommendations [42]. PRISMA = preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The diagram shows the information flow during the different phases of literature analysis. Inclusion criteria: guidelines and review articles and articles on the indication of tonsillectomy and postoperative quality of life. Exclusion criteria: eTextbooks (in Tripdatabase) as well as reports on: surgical methods, pain therapy, adjuvant therapy, routine histology, microbiological examinations, postoperative effects/complications, risk factor analysis for bleeding complications, treatment failure, tonsillotomy (syn.: intracapsular/partial tonsillectomy, tonsillar ablation), implementation of guidelines, outpatient treatment options, single case studies, single prospective/retrospective mono-/multicenter trials, general risks of surgical measures in pediatric patients, medico-legal questions, effect on postoperative laboratory parameters, quality of life after different ENT specific interventions, different postoperative types of care for children, risk factors for surgical failure, articles without abstracts, postoperative examination procedures, benefit of preoperative diagnostics, side effects of tonsillectomy, publications not in German or English language, actualizations of previously published review articles by the same first author, implementation of guidelines, articles without references, or treatment suggestions in cases of unilaterally increased tonsils.