Gold laser versus curettage adenoidectomy: incidence of complications and otorrhea after concurrent pressure-equalization tube placement.

OBJECTIVES

To measure the incidence of postoperative complications and otorrhea in patients undergoing Gold laser or curettage adenoidectomy with pressure-equalization (PE) tube placement.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective study of 100 patients, ages 8 to 48 months, undergoing Gold laser (n = 50) or curettage adenoidectomy (n = 50) and PE tube placement in a pediatric outpatient setting.

METHODS

Pediatric patients with chronic otitis media with effusion and adenoid hypertrophy after failure of medical management were included in the study. Adenoid size and middle ear status were recorded at surgery. The total adenoidectomy procedure time was recorded. All patients were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months postoperatively. The incidence of nasal complications and otorrhea was recorded.

RESULTS

There was no statistical difference in age, race, sex, adenoid size, or middle ear status between groups. The laser group had a shorter procedure time (P = .001) and a lower incidence of otorrhea (P = .024). There was no difference in nasal complications between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The Gold laser adenoidectomy technique can be safely performed with PE tube placement and may offer advantages over the traditional curettage adenoidectomy technique.