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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127:1007-1008.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Hypothesis: Intravenous steroids provide significant benefit to patients undergoing tonsillectomy when administered in the perioperative period.

BACKGROUND

Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy is the most frequent major surgical procedure performed in children in the United States,¹ with significant potential for perioperative and postoperative morbidity. Patients may experience postoperative pain, vomiting, halitosis, trismus, weight loss, and/or bleeding during their postsurgical recovery.

Figure appears in full text version. Diane G. Heatley, MD

Tonsillectomy results in an open wound in the pharynx, which must heal by secondary intention; significant edema and inflammation occur in the operative bed. Steroid medications nonspecifically reduce inflammation, and so it follows that perioperative steroid administration might be useful in decreasing postoperative symptoms in patients undergoing tonsillectomy.

Both anesthesiologists and otolaryngologists have a professional interest in reducing postoperative morbidity after tonsillectomy, especially as the procedure is now commonly done in an ambulatory setting. This is reflected in the authorship of the recent articles published on this . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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