Trial reportCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2013
Short-term outcomes of tonsillectomy in adult patients with recurrent pharyngitis: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00547391 (Recurrent Throat Infections and Tonsillectomy), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Recurrent Throat Infections and Tonsillectomy
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quality of life after tonsillectomy in adult patients with recurrent acute tonsillitis: a systematic review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Clinical practice guideline: tonsillitis II. Surgical management.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2016Guideline
- Tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy versus non-surgical treatment for chronic/recurrent acute tonsillitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Tonsillectomy compared with conservative management in patients over 16 years with recurrent sore throat: the NATTINA RCT and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Bacteriotherapy with Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis 89a oral spray for children with recurrent streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2019Trial
- Trends and Practices in Tonsil Surgery-A National Survey for Otorhinolaryngologists.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Treatment of recurrent acute tonsillitis-a systematic review and clinical practice recommendations.Frontiers in surgery · 2023Review
- Article
- Article
- Article
- Effects of Osteopathic T9-T10 Vertebral Manipulation in Tonsillitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Article
- Article
- Article
- Indications for tonsillectomy stratified by the level of evidence.GMS current topics in otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery · 2016Review
- Predictive Factors for Medical Consultation for Sore Throat in Adults with Recurrent Pharyngotonsillitis.International journal of otolaryngology · 2016Article
- Tonsillar colonisation of Fusobacterium necrophorum in patients subjected to tonsillectomy.BMC infectious diseases · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLimited evidence exists as to the benefit of tonsillectomy in adult patients. We sought to determine the short-term efficacy of tonsillectomy for recurrent pharyngitis in adults.
methodsWe conducted a randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial at a tertiary care ear, throat and nose centre in Oulu, Finland, between October 2007 and December 2010. Adult patients with recurrent pharyngitis were randomly assigned to the control group (watchful waiting) or the tonsillectomy group. Our primary outcome was the difference in the proportion of patients with severe pharyngitis (severe symptoms and C-reactive protein level > 40 mg/L) within 5 months. Our secondary outcomes included differences between groups in proportions of patients who had episodes of pharyngitis with or without medical consultation, rates of pharyngitis and numbers of days with symptoms.
resultsOf 260 patients referred for tonsillectomy because of recurrent pharyngitis, we recruited 86 participants for our study. Of these, 40 patients were randomly allocated to the control group, and 46 were randomly allocated to the tonsillectomy group. One patient in the control group and no patients in the tonsillectomy group had a severe episode of pharyngitis (difference 3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2% to 7%). Seventeen patients in the control group (43%) and 2 patients in the tonsillectomy group (4%) consulted a physician for pharyngitis (difference 38%, 95% CI 22% to 55%). Overall, 32 patients in the control group (80%) and 18 patients in the tonsillectomy group (39%) had an episode of pharyngitis during the 5-month follow-up (difference 41%, 95% CI 22% to 60%). The rate of pharyngitis and number of symptomatic days were significantly lower in the tonsillectomy group than in the control group.
interpretationThere was no significant difference in the number of episodes of severe pharyngitis between the control and treatment groups, and episodes were rare. However, tonsillectomy resulted in fewer symptoms of pharyngitis, consequently decreasing the number of medical visits and days absent from school or work. For this reason, surgery may benefit some patients.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT00547391.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.