Postoperative Oral Dexamethasone and Pediatric Tonsillectomy Morbidity

Does a postoperative course of oral dexamethasone reduce pain following pediatric adenotonsillectomy compared to placebo? In a randomized clinical trial of 209 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy, those randomized to 3 doses of dexamethasone on days 2, 4, and 6 had a small reduction in pain before medications during postoperative days 2 to 8 compared with those randomized to placebo without an increase in complications. These findings suggest that a postoperative course of dexamethasone reduces pain following pediatric adenotonsillectomy and may be implemented in a structured postoperative pain control regimen.

Corresponding Author: Amber D. Shaffer, PhD, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 (shafferad@upmc.edu).

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