Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31719097›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2019

Does tonsillectomy reduce medical care visits for pharyngitis/tonsillitis in children and adults? Retrospective cohort study from Sweden.

Eirik Østvoll, Ola Sunnergren, Joacim Stalfors

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Eirik ØstvollDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden eirik_ostvoll@hotmail.com.ORCID 0000-0003-4708-2309
Ola SunnergrenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Ryhov County Hospital, Jönköping, Sweden.
Joacim StalforsInstitute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
Linköping University · SESahlgrenska University Hospital · SEShaikh Khalifa Medical City · AE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effectiveness of tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy in reducing medical care visits for pharyngitis or tonsillitis in children and adults with chronic/recurrent tonsillitis.

designRetrospective cohort study.

settingData were retrieved from the VEGA register, a comprehensive regional cohort in Sweden.

participants1044 children (<15 years) and 2244 adults.

interventionTonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy compared with no surgical treatment.

main outcome measuresChanges in yearly mean rates of medical care visits due to pharyngitis/tonsillitis.

resultsIn children, there was a significant decrease in the yearly mean medical care visits rate from 1.93 (1.82 to 2.04) before surgery to 0.129 (0.099 to 0.165) after surgery, with a mean change of -1.80 (-1.90 to -1.69), p<0.0001. In patients who did not undergo surgery, the corresponding mean change was -1.51 (-1.61 to -1.41), resulting in a mean difference in the change in visit rates between the intervention and control groups of -0.283 (-0.436 to -0.135), p=0.0002. In adults, a significant decrease in the yearly mean medical care visit rate was observed from 1.45 (1.39 to 1.51) before surgery to 0.152 (0.132 to 0.173) after surgery, with a mean change of -1.30 (-1.36 to -1.24), p<0.0001, compared with -1.18 (-1.24 to -1.13) in the control group. The difference in the change in yearly mean visit rate between the surgical and non-surgical groups was -0.111 (-0.195 to -0.028), p=0.0097. The subgroup analysis showed a greater effect of surgery in children, in patients with a higher number of medical care visits before surgery and in the first year of follow-up.

conclusionIn this cohort of patients moderately or less affected with chronic/recurrent tonsillitis, the effectiveness of tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy in reducing medical care visits for pharyngitis and tonsillitis compared with no surgical treatment was low and of questionable clinical value.

Indexed as

TonsillectomyAdolescentAdultAge FactorsChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePatient Acceptance of Health CarePharyngitisRetrospective StudiesSwedenTonsillitisambulatory carepharyngitistonsillectomytonsillitis

Identifiers

PMID31719097
PMCPMC6858118
OpenAlexW2983147490

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.