Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of power-assisted adenoidecto
my (PAA) vs adenoid curette adenoidectomy (ACA).
Design: A prospective randomized study.
Setting: Children's hospital of a tertiary care medical center.
Patients: Ninety patients (aged 1-13 years) underwent PAA, and 87 patients
(aged 1-12 years) underwent ACA.
Main Outcome Measures: The parameters evaluated were operative time, blood
loss, completeness and depth of resection, injuries to surrounding structur
es, short- and long-term complications, surgeon satisfaction with the proce
dure, and parents' assessment of the patient's postoperative recovery perio
d.
Results: The PAA was 20% faster (P<.001) and had 27% less blood loss (P<.00
1) than the ACA. It provided a more complete resection(P<.001) and better c
ontrol of the depth of resection (P<.05). Surgeon satisfaction was greater
with PAA (P<.001). There was no difference in the recovery period or parent
satisfaction. One patient in the PAA group returned to the operating room
for control of postoperative bleeding, and 1 child in the ACA group returne
d to the hospital for postoperative dehydration.
Conclusion: The PAA provides a faster, dryer, more complete, and more surgi
cally satisfying resection than the ACA.