This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Pediatric Otolaryngology  • Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic

Kevin K. Wong, MD; Jane C. Finlay, MD, FRCPC; J. Paul Moxham, MD, FRCSC

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134(1):16-19.

Objective  To examine the efficacy of tonsillectomy in ameliorating symptoms and preventing recurrence of episodes in children with PFAPA syndrome (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis).

Design  Retrospective case series.

Setting  Tertiary care children's hospital.

Patients  Patients who presented to a major tertiary teaching hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, between 2000 and 2004 with the diagnosis of PFAPA syndrome or for whom the diagnosis was made on their initial consultation.

Intervention  Tonsillectomy.

Main Outcome Measures  Resolution of symptoms at 3, 12, and 24 months after tonsillectomy.

Results  Eight of the 9 patients achieved complete remission within 3 months. In the remaining patient, the frequency of episodes decreased from every 2 weeks to once every 3 to 4 months. This patient eventually had resolution of symptoms at 2 years after tonsillectomy. No complications resulted from the tonsillectomy.

Conclusion  Tonsillectomy is a viable treatment option for patients with PFAPA syndrome.

Author Affiliations: Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery (Drs Wong and Moxham), and Division of General Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics (Dr Finlay), British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.