A comparison of the harmonic scalpel, coblation, bipolar, and cold knife tonsillectomy methods in adult patients

Background/Aim: Tonsillectomy is one of the widely performed surgical procedures by otolaryngologists. Today, many new surgical instruments are used in tonsil surgery to reduce postoperative morbidity. This study aimed to compare intraoperative blood loss, operating time, postoperative pain, and bleeding between harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy, coblation tonsillectomy, bipolar tonsillectomy, and cold dissection tonsillectomy in adult patients. Methods: This prospective cohort study population comprised 96 adult patients aged 18-60 years (mean age: 34.9 (10.7) years) who were operated on for chronic tonsillitis. The amount of bleeding and the operation time were calculated intraoperatively. Postoperative pain level was evaluated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at the sixth postoperative hour and on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7. Results: In the harmonic scalpel group, the mean volume of intraoperative bleeding (2.7 (1.5) ml) and the mean operation time (8.8 (3.0) min) were significantly lower compared to the other groups (P