The effect of lidocaine spray for pain relief after tonsillectomy in pediatrics

Tonsillectomy is the commonest surgical operation in pediatrics in otolaryngology practice. Pain is emotional feeling that is closely related to tissue damage. Postoperative pain is the most important complication of tonsillectomy that may interfere with normal oral intake, daily activity, delay discharge from the hospital, and constrictor muscles restriction which lead to 2ry bleeding and re -hospitalization. 120 patients aged 5 to 12 years who underwent tonsillectomy at the Otorhinolaryngology section in AL-Sheikhan general hospital were selected to conduct this study. They were divided into two groups with 60 patients each as followings: group (I) received 2 puffs of normal saline in tonsillar bed. Group (II) received 10 % lidocaine 3-5 puffs in each tonsillar bed. These results showed that there was statistically significant difference in all treated patients especially in the early hours half, 1, 4, 8 hours but at 16 hours the statistical difference is still present but it is less than the previous hours and it became not significant at 24 hours post operatively.

Conclusion: The lidocaine aerosol is evidently effective in reducing throat pain in children underwent tonsillectomy especially at the early hours post operatively.