Postoperative Oral Corticosteroids Following Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States, and post-operative pain management is a challenge for otolaryngologists. A 2013 black-box warning on codeine following tonsillectomy has drawn attention to potential concerns with all narcotics in these patients, and many surgeons try to avoid narcotics. The use of intra-operative corticosteroids has been proven to be beneficial in reducing post-operative morbidity, and some small studies have shown possible benefit to the use of post-operative oral corticosteroids as well, although the results of these studies are mixed. To date, no one has looked at whether the use of post-operative oral steroids may reduce or eliminate the need for narcotics. We aim to determine whether the addition of oral steroids to our post-operative pain regimen can reduce the need for narcotic pain medications.