Table 4.

 Details and adverse effects of tonsillectomy and operative findings in adults with recurrent streptococcal A pharyngitis randomised to waiting list (control) or immediate tonsillectomy. Figures are numbers (percentages) unless otherwise indicated

Characteristic	Control (n=34)	Tonsillectomy (n=36)
Operation type:
Tonsillectomy	—	34 (94)
Adenotonsillectomy	—	2 (6)
Operative technique:
Blunt dissection	—	12 (33)
Diathermy dissection	—	24 (67)
Mean (SD) times* (min):
In operating room	—	51 (15)
Under general anaesthesia	—	42 (12)
Operation	—	16 (8)
Median (IQR) blood loss (ml)	—	5 (5-31)
Mean (SD) time with postoperative throat pain (days)	—	13 (4)
Postoperative haemorrhage†	—	2 (6)
Retained in hospital for postoperative pain	—	1 (3)
Findings at operation‡:
Scarred tonsils	26 (77)	30 (83)
Extracapsular microabscesses	5 (15)	5 (14)
Granulating infected tonsils	1 (3)	1 (3)
Merely large tonsils	1 (3)	0 (0)

IQR=interquartile range.

*Data missing in one patient.

†Mild (no transfusion needed) secondary bleeding treated with electrocautery in outpatient clinic.

‡33 patients in control group underwent tonsillectomy at end of follow-up. There were no significant differences between groups in operative finding.