POST-TONSILLECTOMY PAIN IN ADULTS: CURRENT EVIDENCE ON MULTIMODAL ANALGESIA AND PERSPECTIVES FOR PERSONALIZED PAIN MANAGEMENT
Keywords:
Tonsillectomy; postoperative pain; post-tonsillectomy pain; multimodal analgesia; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; paracetamol; dexamethasone; opioids; postoperative haemorrhage; adults.Abstract
Tonsillectomy remains one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in otorhinolaryngology. Despite advances in surgical and anaesthetic techniques, post-tonsillectomy pain remains a major clinical problem, particularly in adults. Severe pain may persist for several days, impair swallowing and oral intake, delay recovery, increase the need for rescue analgesics, and contribute to unplanned medical contacts after discharge. The systematic review by Tolska et al. demonstrated that individual systemic analgesics provide only weak-to-moderate analgesic effects and supported the use of multimodal analgesia. Since publication of that review, additional evidence has emerged concerning non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), dexamethasone, opioid-sparing strategies, selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, and adjunctive treatments.
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