New research suggests most child tonsillectomies unnecessary – ENT UK responds

06 November 2018

The University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research has published a paper in the British Journal of General Practice disputing the necessity of up to 88 percent of tonsillectomies carried out on children in the UK each year. In the paper, authors Dana Šumilo and colleagues interrogate the data surrounding tonsillectomy as a treatment for recurrent sore throat and obstructive sleep apnoea in children. They conclude that a large majority of such operations are performed on children who are not eligible under the accepted criteria, while many of those children who are eligible do not undergo the procedure.

In response to the publication of the paper, ENT UK has stated that although the research ‘adds to the wide medical literature on the subject… it should not, in isolation, be used to influence policy on the UK guidelines for tonsillectomy. The authors of the paper have suggested areas for further research and ENT UK is supportive of these suggestions.’ The full statement can be found here.