Recurrent Tonsillitis in Adults: Quality of Life After Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical operations in Germany (1). While many investigations of various techniques, postsurgical bleeding rates, and postoperative pain have been published, few studies throw any light on the outcome of surgery with regard to the reason the operation was performed, namely painful throat infections. Of particular interest are the effect of tonsillectomy on the number of visits to a doctor, the necessity and frequency of analgesic and antibiotic treatment, and the number of days off work because of illness. Although the need for well-substantiated data is self-evident, few studies to date have concerned themselves with this topic. In January 2008, a Medline search using the terms “life quality AND tonsillectomy”, “benefit AND tonsillectomy”, and “economic AND tonsillectomy” revealed only 11 relevant publications. On closer inspection, many of these studies looked mainly at the effectiveness of the procedure with regard to the objective clinical postoperative outcome (2– 5). The patients’ subjective impression of the outcome of tonsillectomy is often not investigated. Four of the 11 studies were restricted to children, and only one (6) prospectively investigated the most frequent indication for tonsillectomy: chronic or recurrent tonsillitis. In this respect, the cost efficiency and the objective clinical postoperative improvement in symptoms after tonsillectomy have been demonstrated (3, 4, 7). However, the patient’s opinion regarding the success of a given treatment should be ascribed equal importance to the clinician’s assessment (8). In the present study we set out to look at the patient’s verdict and quality of life in connection with the clinical success of tonsillectomy. Our intention was to make a contribution to patient-oriented research and elucidate the health economic aspects of this operation.