Analgesia com laser terapêutico após tonsilectomia

• Autor(a) principal: Neiva, Felipe Costa [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Vieira, Fernando Mirage Jardim [UNIFESP], Figueiredo, Claudia Regina [UNIFESP], Stamm, Aldo Eden Cassol [UNIFESP], Weckx, Luc Louis Maurice [UNIFESP], Pignatari, Shirley Shizue Nagata [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-05822010000300011; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/5922
• topic: laser therapy; tonsillectomy; pain; child; terapia a laser; tonsilectomia; dor; criança

OBJECTIVE: The postoperative period of a tonsillectomy is usually very painful, requiring the use of pain-relieving drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-level laser therapy in post-tonsillectomy pain control. METHODS: 18 children aged 5 to 15 years undergoing adenotonsillectomy between June 2005 and October 2006 were randomized to receive either local application of therapeutic laser immediately after surgery and 24 hours postoperatively (n=9) or routine analgesic drug therapy, if necessary. Pain was assessed by visual analog scale scores, need for analgesics, and acceptance of diet during the postoperative period. RESULTS: Patients undergoing laser applications had lower median pain scores and required less analgesic medication postoperatively than the control group. Acceptance of diet was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results showed that low-level laser therapy is effective in the reduction of post-tonsillectomy pain, minimizing the need of analgesic medication in children and adolescents.