Trial reportPloS one2025
Effect of preoperative virtual reality cartoon viewing on postoperative pain and anxiety in children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06763276 (The Effect of Preoperative Virtual Reality Cartoon Viewing on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
The Effect of Preoperative Virtual Reality Cartoon Viewing on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Analgesic Effect of Extended Reality (XR) on Acute and Postoperative Pain in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Paediatric anaesthesia · 2026Pooled it
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
objectiveSurgery causes anxiety in children and negatively affects postoperative pain control. Various distraction methods, such as virtual reality (VR), have been shown to reduce anxiety levels and improve surgical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the effect of watching cartoons through a VR headset before surgery on systolic blood pressure, postoperative pain, and anxiety levels as primary, secondary, and tertiary outcomes, respectively, in children aged 7-12 years undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
methodsThis randomized controlled experimental study was conducted at a tertiary hospital between November 10, 2023, and June 1, 2024, among 102 children scheduled for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, who were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 51; VR intervention) and a control group (n = 51; no intervention). The primary outcomes were anxiety levels measured using the Perioperative Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children and postoperative pain evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale. Sociodemographic characteristics and vital signs were also assessed.
resultsSystolic blood pressure values were significantly lower in the experimental group at than in the control group at all time points (p < 0.05). Postoperative pain values were lower in the experimental group (3.35 ± 1.43 vs. 6.53 ± 1.36, p < 0.05), with similar results observed 8 h post-surgery (1.29 ± 1.08 vs. 6.57 ± 1.17, p < 0.05). Anxiety values were also significantly lower in the experimental group (24.12 ± 11.17 vs. 69.41 ± 12.56, p < 0.05), with similar results observed 8 h post-surgery (12.35 ± 10.50 vs. 67.0 ± 11.37, p < 0.05).
conclusionVR technology, particularly through watching the Shrek cartoon, significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, pain, and anxiety levels in children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Thus, VR could be an effective noninvasive tool for managing pain and anxiety in pediatric patients during the preoperative and postoperative periods.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06763276).
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