Dexamethasone Versus Local Infiltration Technique for Tonsillectomy in Children

Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequent surgical operations performed in children \[1-4\]. It is usually associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) with an incidence ranging from 23% to 73% \[2\]. Dexamethasone has been shown to be effective in reducing PONV after tonsillectomy using standardized anesthetic technique \[2, 5-7\]. Previous studies utilizing a different technique, the pre-incision infiltration of local anesthesia, had shown to decrease post-tonsillectomy pain, reduce analgesic consumption and provide a rapid return to normal activity \[8, 9\]. Given the effectiveness of dexamethasone and the pre-incision infiltration anesthetic technique, it would be beneficial to compare the effect of each on PONV.