Effect of Oral Prednisolone on Pain after Tonsillectomy with Sutures: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Tonsillectomy, one of the most common otolaryngology surgeries, often results in postoperative complications such as pain and bleeding. Currently, there is no consensus on postoperative pain management. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of oral prednisolone on postoperative pain after tonsillectomy with sutures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This pilot, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted at two tertiary care centers affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Patients who underwent tonsillectomy with sutures were included. Participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, patients received oral prednisolone in addition to acetaminophen; in the control group, patients received acetaminophen and a placebo. Post-operative pain was evaluated by a visual analog scale daily for ten days. RESULTS: Initially, 60 patients were enrolled in the study; however, four were excluded due to non-attendance at follow-up visits. The groups were similar in terms of age and sex (both P values >0.05). In the study, postoperative pain from 1(st) day to the 10(th) day was lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P value <0.05). CONCLUSION: Numerous studies have been conducted on the effect of intravenous corticosteroids on this pain. However, there is no consensus on the analgesic role of oral corticosteroids for post-tonsillectomy pain. The present study showed that oral prednisolone is effective on post-operative pain compared to a placebo.