Polysomnography outcomes for partial intracapsular versus total tonsillectomy

Abstract Objective To demonstrate similar improvement in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) as determined by polysomnography (PSG) with microdebrider-assisted partial intracapsular tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (PITA) versus Bovie electrocautery complete tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (TA this difference was not statistically significant (Fisher exact test P  = 1.000). There was no significant interaction or substantial confounding effect of age, sex, race, preoperative tonsil size, preoperative AHI, or body mass index in the model relating surgery type to reduction of postoperative AHI to ≤5. Conclusions Our study demonstrates no clinically or statistically significant differences in PSG and clinical outcomes between PITA and T&A for treatment of pediatric SDB in otherwise healthy children.