Comparison of celecoxib and acetaminophen for pain relief in pediatric day case tonsillectomy: A randomized double-blind study

Objective Post-tonsillectomy pain is a common morbidity in children. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of celecoxib with acetaminophen on pain relief in pediatric day-case tonsillectomy. Methods We compared the analgesic effect of celecoxib (99 patients) with acetaminophen (100 patients) for the management of post-tonsillectomy pain. Post-tonsillectomy pain score was evaluated three times a day for 7 days. In addition, the incidence of post-tonsillectomy bleeding and the rate of patients who returned to regular diet were evaluated. Results In the first day, we observed lower mean pain score in the celecoxib group, than the acetaminophen group (P = 0.013). The overall pain score in other days was not significantly different between the two groups. In the celecoxib group, more patients resumed regular amount of oral intake within the first 3 days. Also, the rate of post-tonsillectomy bleeding in the two groups was not statistically different. Conclusion We recommend celecoxib as a more suitable choice than acetaminophen for post-tonsillectomy pain management in the first day and resuming regular diet within 3 days. Level of Evidence: 1b.