Pediatric intracapsular tonsillectomy: a comprehensive review and expert perspective.

PURPOSE: We present a comprehensive review on the background, indications, procedural steps, global trends, and literature of outcomes, as well as a detailed, expert discussion on special populations and shared decision making for pediatric patients undergoing intracapsular tonsillectomy.

METHODS

A complete literature review was conducted. Expert commentary on the procedural steps and decision making has been added throughout.

RESULTS

Intracapsular tonsillectomy offers improved pain control, decreased risk of bleeding, and overall faster recovery than extra capsular tonsillectomy. It is an effective technique in the surgical management of pediatric sleep disordered breathing and recurrent tonsillitis.

CONCLUSION

As intracapsular tonsillectomy becomes more widely offered, shared decision making should be prioritized to ensure that the procedure aligns with the patient and family’s goals and values. There are many benefits of this procedure as compared to extracapsular tonsillectomy and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in the literature.