ArticleThe Laryngoscope2026
Cost-Utility Analysis of Intracapsular and Extracapsular Techniques for Pediatric Tonsillectomy.
Article in The Laryngoscope, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cost-Utility Analysis of Intracapsular and Extracapsular Techniques for Pediatric Tonsillectomy.The Laryngoscope · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of intracapsular pediatric tonsillectomy.
methodsA prospective cohort with cost-utility analysis included all ambulatory and observation tonsillectomies on pediatric patients (< 18 years) at a tertiary children's hospital between 2020 and 2024. Intracapsular coblation tonsillectomy (ICT) or extracapsular tonsillectomy (ECT) was performed with 30-day outcomes used for model inputs. Costs were expressed in US dollars from the perspective of a hospital system. Utility was based on published ranges.
resultsThere were 5425 tonsillectomies performed (604 ICT [11%] and 4821 ECT [89%]). Among 2614 ambulatory procedures, ICT was associated with lower costs (β: -426.6, 95% CI: -631.7 to -221.4, p < 0.001). Mean ambulatory ICT costs were $4716 with a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of 0.94 yielding a cost-effectiveness (C/E) ratio of $5008/QALY. For ambulatory ECT, mean costs were $5400 with a QALY of 0.93 yielding a C/E ratio of $5777/QALY. Ambulatory ICT had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of -$100,141/QALY. Among 2811 observation tonsillectomies, ICT did not impact costs with an ICT C/E ratio of $10,067/QALY and ECT C/E ratio of $10,209/QALY. The ICER for observation ICT cases was -$16,453/QALY. One-way sensitivity analysis determined that ICT revision rates less than 14.5% for ambulatory or 0.9% for observation cases produced lower costs than a single ECT.
conclusionsICT dominates ECT for cost-effectiveness after pediatric tonsillectomy with greater advantages in ambulatory cases. Even when considering the rare potential for revision, offering ICT can substantially reduce the economic impact of this common childhood surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.
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.