Comparative Effectiveness of Analgesia for Early Pain Management After Pediatric Tonsillectomy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background

Timely and effective analgesia after tonsillectomy in children is crucial, but there is currently no consensus on the optimal analgesics. This analysis aimed to identify the most effective for this surgery.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (random-effects model) of randomized controlled trials comparing analgesics for pediatric tonsillectomy. We searched relevant studies in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases from database inception until June 30, 2023. Children (≤18 years old) who underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy were eligible for inclusion. Primary outcomes encompassed pain score and postoperative complications; secondary outcomes included postoperative supplementary analgesia, functional evaluation, and sedation score.

Results

In total 82 randomized controlled trials involving 6110 patients were included, forming the primary network that comprised comparative data for 16 different interventions (including placebo) across 6 types of analgesics. The integrated analysis revealed that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs except ketoprofen had no significant effects in relieving postoperative pain (mean difference [MD], -2.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], -5.59 to -0.32; P = .10). Local anesthetic infiltration (bupivacaine: MD, -2.76; 95% CI, -3.88 to -1.64, P = .01; ropivacaine: MD, -2.49; 95% CI, -4.25 to -0.73, P = .02; lidocaine: MD, -1.86; 95% CI,-3.52 to -0.2, P = .02; levobupivacaine: MD, -1.06; 95% CI, -2.00 to -0.12, P = .01), analgesics (morphine: MD, -2.07; 95% CI, -3.14 to -1.00; P = .02), and glucocorticoids (dexamethasone: MD, -0.45; 95% CI, -0.73 to -0.16; P = .01) were effective in relieving pain after pediatric tonsillectomy. In reducing incidence of postoperative complications, dexamethasone was superior to bupivacaine (relative risk [RR], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.83; P = .02). Regarding the number of patients needing rescue analgesic, levobupivacaine was superior to lidocaine (RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32-0.81; P = .01). In rescue analgesia requirement, morphine outperformed lidocaine (RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.25-0.75; P = .01) and ropivacaine (RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.32-0.91; P = .01) in efficacy but not different from bupivacaine (P = .10) and levobupivacaine (P = .12).

Conclusions

Based on these results, we would recommend local bupivacaine infiltration or local levobupivacaine infiltration for older children and dexamethasone injection for younger children for early analgesia after tonsillectomy. However, clinicians should choose the optimal analgesic based on the individual child's condition and clinical situation.

COI Statement

Conflicts of Interest, Funding: Please see DISCLOSURES at the end of this article.

References:

• El Daly A, Naby MA, Emad P. Effect on postoperative pain after topical application of local anesthetics in the tonsillar fossa after tonsillectomy. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2019;35:173–181.
• Akoglu E, Akkurt BC, Inanoglu K, Okuyucu S, Dagli S. Ropivacaine compared to bupivacaine for post-tonsillectomy pain relief in children: a randomized controlled study. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2006;70:1169–1173.
• Jebeles JA, Reilly JS, Gutierrez JF, Bradley EL Jr, Kissin I. The effect of pre-incisional infiltration of tonsils with bupivacaine on the pain following tonsillectomy under general anesthesia. Pain. 1991;47:305–308.
• Orntoft S, Løngreen A, Møiniche S, Dhal JB. A comparison of pre- and postoperative tonsillar infiltration with bupivacaine on pain after tonsillectomy. A pre-emptive effect? Anaesthesia. 1994;49:151–154.
• Hasnain F, Janbaz KH, Qureshi MA. Analgesic effect of ketamine and morphine after tonsillectomy in children. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2012;25:599–606.