Papers of the Week

Electrocautery adenoidectomy (ECA) is a common procedure performed in paediatric otolaryngology. ECA has been preferred over curettage adenoidectomy due to its lower intraoperative bleeding rates, decreased procedure time, and higher subjective success. However, post-ECA symptoms of pain and halitosis have never been studied. The objective of our study was to identify the pattern of post-ECA halitosis and pain in the paediatric population. This is a single centre, prospective observational study that uses visual analogue scales (VAS) by parent proxy to assess post-ECA pain and halitosis in paediatric patients (age < 18) in South Australia. A total of 19 patients were enrolled in the study and followed for seven days. Postoperative pain and halitosis reaches a peak 3 days post-ECA (median = 2 for pain; median = 6 for halitosis) but resolves 7 days post-ECA (median = 0 for both). Our study demonstrates that halitosis and pain occur over a seven-day period in patients undergoing ECA and will resolve post-operatively with simple analgesia and without antibiotics.