RCT | Tonsillectomy shown to be clinically and cost-effective in adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis
23 May, 2023 | 13:06h | UTCSummary: The NATTINA trial, a pragmatic multicentre, open-label, randomized controlled study, sought to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of conservative management versus tonsillectomy in adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis. Conducted across 27 UK hospitals, 453 participants aged 16 or older were randomly assigned to either undergo immediate tonsillectomy or receive standard non-surgical care.
The main finding was that participants in the immediate tonsillectomy group had fewer days of sore throat over a 24-month period than those in the conservative management group (median 23 vs. 30 days). After adjusting for site and baseline severity, the incident rate ratio of total sore throat days in the immediate tonsillectomy group was significantly lower than in the conservative management group (0.53, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.65, p < 0.0001). The most common adverse event related to tonsillectomy was bleeding, which occurred in 19% of participants.
The NATTINA trial is the largest to date assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of tonsillectomy in adults. The results indicate that immediate tonsillectomy is clinically effective and cost-effective for recurrent acute tonsillitis. However, patients should weigh the benefits of fewer sore throat days against the risks of surgery.
News Release: Tonsillectomy both clinically and cost effective for adults – Newcastle University
Commentary on Twitter
Compared with conservative management, immediate tonsillectomy is clinically effective and cost-effective in adults with recurrent acute #tonsillitis, suggests trial. https://t.co/LvSjn6XUx0 pic.twitter.com/yKzH9RqY5J
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) May 18, 2023