Table 3.
Number and frequency of probable self-reported complications by the surgical method.
| Subgroup | Total n |
Pain or discomfort in the mouth or throat | Problems with throat secretions or throat clearing | Dysphagia | Problems with voice or speech | Disturbed taste or sense of smell | Problems with jaws or teeth | Sensory symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonsillectomy | 30,559 | 908 (3.0%) | 305 (1.0%) | 276 (0.9%) | 225 (0.7%) | 219 (0.7%) | 36 (0.1%) | 14 (0.0%) |
| Age (years) | ||||||||
| 0–17 | 15,668 | 182 (1.2%) | 82 (0.5%) | 43 (0.3%) | 92 (0.6%) | 14 (0.1%) | 20 (0.1%) | 1 (0.0%) |
| 18+ | 14,891 | 726 (4.9%) | 223 (1.5%) | 233 (1.6%) | 133 (0.9%) | 205 (1.4%) | 16 (0.1%) | 13 (0.1%) |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Male | 13,086 | 255 (1.9%) | 113 (0.9%) | 72 (0.6%) | 78 (0.6%) | 76 (0.6%) | 9 (0.1%) | 4 (0.0%) |
| Female | 17,473 | 653 (3.7%) | 192 (1.1%) | 204 (1.2%) | 147 (0.8%) | 143 (0.8%) | 27 (0.2%) | 10 (0.1%) |
| Indication | ||||||||
| Infection | 19,302 | 677 (3.5%) | 212 (1.1%) | 212 (1.1%) | 132 (0.7%) | 170 (0.9%) | 26 (0.1%) | 11 (0.1%) |
| Obstruction | 10,201 | 190 (1.9%) | 77 (0.8%) | 50 (0.5%) | 88 (0.9%) | 31 (0.3%) | 9 (0.1%) | 1 (0.0%) |
| Adenoidectomy | ||||||||
| Yes | 7,639 | 56 (0.7%) | 46 (0.6%) | 24 (0.3%) | 58 (0.8%) | 7 (0.1%) | 2 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| No | 22,920 | 852 (3.7%) | 259 (1.1%) | 252 (1.1%) | 167 (0.7%) | 212 (0.9%) | 34 (0.1%) | 14 (0.1%) |
| Surgical technique | ||||||||
| Cold | 5,193 | 145 (2.8%) | 40 (0.8%) | 25 (0.5%) | 47 (0.9%) | 20 (0.4%) | 3 (0.1%) | 2 (0.0%) |
| Hot | 24,867 | 754 (3.0%) | 260 (1.0%) | 240 (1.0%) | 177 (0.7%) | 193 (0.8%) | 32 (0.1%) | 11 (0.0%) |
| Unknown | 499 | 9 (1.8%) | 5 (1.0%) | 11 (2.2%) | 1 (0.2%) | 6 (1.2%) | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.2%) |
| Tonsillotomy | 23,903 | 149 (0.6%) | 113 (0.5%) | 44 (0.2%) | 119 (0.5%) | 4 (0.0%) | 8 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Age (years) | ||||||||
| 0–17 | 23,233 | 126 (0.5%) | 109 (0.5%) | 39 (0.2%) | 117 (0.5%) | 3 (0.0%) | 8 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| 18+ | 670 | 23 (3.4%) | 4 (0.6%) | 5 (0.7%) | 2 (0.3%) | 1 (0.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Male | 13,522 | 72 (0.5%) | 68 (0.5%) | 23 (0.2%) | 68 (0.5%) | 2 (0.0%) | 4 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Female | 10,381 | 77 (0.7%) | 45 (0.4%) | 21 (0.2%) | 51 (0.5%) | 2 (0.0%) | 4 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Indication | ||||||||
| Infection | 342 | 8 (2.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Obstruction | 23,375 | 136 (0.6%) | 112 (0.5%) | 42 (0.2%) | 118 (0.5%) | 4 (0.0%) | 8 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Adenoidectomy | ||||||||
| Yes | 20,459 | 106 (0.5%) | 92 (0.4%) | 33 (0.2%) | 105 (0.5%) | 4 (0.0%) | 8 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| No | 3,444 | 43 (1.2%) | 21 (0.6%) | 11 (0.3%) | 14 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Surgical technique | ||||||||
| Cold | 575 | 3 (0.5%) | 2 (0.3%) | 2 (0.3%) | 2 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Hot | 23,087 | 143 (0.6%) | 111 (0.5%) | 41 (0.2%) | 115 (0.5%) | 4 (0.0%) | 8 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Unknown | 241 | 3 (1.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.4%) | 2 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
For categorical variables, n (%) is presented.