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I read with interest the letter about radiofrequency tonsil reduction that appeared in the October 2001 issue of the ARCHIVES.¹ I have performed laser tonsillectomy and electrocautery tonsillectomy and still prefer tonsillectomy in adults, with the patient under local anesthesia with sedation. With practice, it is possible to do each tonsil in about 2 minutes or less. With the use of 2% lidocaine with 1:200 000 epinephrine after administration of the topical anesthetic, the procedure is painless and very little bleeding occurs.

After surgery, the patient has a sore throat for the same 10 days regardless of technique, but complete tonsillectomy does not need to be repeated. With local anesthesia, the patient is spared the pain of the various mouth and tongue retaining devices, as well as the small risk of general anesthesia. Postoperative bleeding occurs in fewer than 1 in 50 patients.

Anyone who can perform laser or radiofrequency tonsil . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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