Comparative intraindividual ablative tissue effects of diode laser 980 nm versus radiofrequency in tonsillar hypertrophy management

Tonsillotomy (tonsillar ablation) using diode laser and radiofrequency has been introduced for management of tonsillar hypertrophy as it is associated with fewer hazards to deep structures. We compared tissue volume and histological changes in the tonsils following radiofrequency tonsillotomy versus diode laser tonsillotomy in tonsillar hypertrophy. 40 tonsils excised from 20 patients were included in this study. Twenty tonsils were subjected to radiofrequency tonsillotomy (RFT) group 1, and the other 20 tonsils were subjected to diode laser 980 nm tonsillotomy (DLT) group 2. Both procedures were followed by cold dissection tonsillectomy for macroscopic and histological examination of tonsils. Tonsillar volume reduction was evident in both groups with a non-significant difference between groups. Histological changes were evident in both groups. In our study, both radiofrequency and diode laser were effective in tonsillar ablation in terms of volume reduction and keeping the histological pattern intact.