The effect of glossopharyngeal nerve block on pain after elective adult tonsillectomy and uvulopalatoplasty

This controlled, randomised, double blind study compared whether glossopharyngeal nerve block and intravenous morphine administered peri-operatively, decreased pain following elective adult tonsillectomy and uvulopalatoplasty more than morphine alone. Sixteen of 30 patients undergoing uvulopalatoplasty and 38 of 78 patients having tonsillectomy received bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve blocks, using bupivacaine 0.5% and adrenaline 1:200 000, or no intervention. There were no differences in postoperative analgesic consumption between the two groups. Visual analogue pain scores measured during swallowing, in the recovery room and on the ward postoperatively, were significantly less overall in uvulopalatoplasty patients who had received a block (p = 0.004). This difference was not found for tonsillectomy. We found no significant differences between groups, in pain scores recorded during the first 5 days at home. We conclude that glossopharyngeal block does not improve analgesia following tonsillectomy although there is short-lived benefit following uvulopalatoplasty.