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81st Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

12.05. - 16.05.2010, Wiesbaden

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Health related quality of life after tonsillectomy in adult patients

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  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Theodoros Skevas - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany
  • Peter K. Plinkert - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany
  • Ingo Baumann - Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 81st Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Wiesbaden, 12.-16.05.2010. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2010. Doc10hno016

doi: 10.3205/10hno016, urn:nbn:de:0183-10hno0169

Published: July 6, 2010

© 2010 Skevas et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Background: The efficiency of tonsillectomy in adult patients with chronic tonsillitis, as opposed to children, is controversial. Until now it has been based on retrospective studies and consequently not on a high level of evidence.

Material und methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal study. A validated disease-specific quality of life measuring instrument (Tonsillectomy Outcome Inventory 16, TOI-16) for use in adults with chronic tonsillitis was used. The Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) was additionally employed as a general measuring instrument. Demographic data were also surveyed.

Results: 108 patients were included. Thereof answered 42 in all of the three follow-ups. All scales of the TOI-16 showed one year postoperatively a significant improvement of the patients evaluations. Also every scale of the SF-36 showed significant improvements. The comparison of the SF-36 evaluations with the German norm collective showed preoperatively a drawback for the patients in 7 out of 8 scales (except for the role-physical). Postoperative there was a clearly improved evaluation, whereas in 5 scales no more difference existed to the norm collective and the tonsillectomised patients stated in 3 scales (role-physical, physical-function, bodily pain) an improved quality of life compared to the norm collective.

Synopsis: Quality of life in adult patients with chronic tonsillitis is notably limited compared to healthy subjects. Through tonsillectomy there was a clear benefit for these patients concerning both the disease-specific and the general quality of life.