Watchful waiting of tonsils effective

UTRECHT, Netherlands, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Tonsil surgery for children with moderate throat infection symptoms may not be better than watchful waiting, a Dutch study suggests.

The study, published in the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, finds tonsil surgery was more expensive even if societal costs such as parental leave of absence associated with the child's illness were included.

Dr. Erik Buskens of the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, conducted a clinical trial involving 300 children ages 2-8. The removal of adenoids and tonsils had been recommended for the children between 2000 and 2003, but they were randomly assigned to either immediate surgery or watchful waiting. Parents of the children assigned to watchful waiting kept diaries listing daily symptoms, temperature and costs.

"The balance between costs and effects in this population seemed unfavorable for adenotonsillectomy, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in excess of $423 per disease episode averted," the researchers said in a statement. "With time, the child's immune system matures and the difference in adverse episodes disappears."