Cochrane · systematic review · CD008669

Tonsillectomy for periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis syndrome (PFAPA)

Burton, MJ, Pollard, AJ, Ramsden, JD, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2019 · Cochrane Library

ENT3 versionsAMSTAR 2: not assessed

SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.

Questions

current version

GRADE rated

No studies

Included studies

No studies 3 · 42.9%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 0 · 0%Low 1 · 14.3%Moderate 3 · 42.9%High 0 · 0%

Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.

Questions and results

Show all 3 versions

Surgery (tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy) for children with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome

Population: children with PFAPA

7 questions

Outcome	Effect	Evidence	Status / GRADE
Complete resolution of symptoms (proportion of patients with 'immediate and persistent resolution of symptoms' from the point of surgery/randomisation up to end of study	RR 4.38 [0.64, 30.11]	2 studies · 65 participants	Moderate
Complications of surgery (haemorrhage and days with pain)	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Number of episodes of fever and associated symptoms (episodes per person per month)	Rate ratio 0.08 [0.05, 0.13]	2 studies · 65 participants	Moderate
Severity of episodes (number of days with fever and the associated symptoms (per episode))	Mean difference 1.8	1 study · 39 participants	Moderate
Use of corticosteroids (proportion of patients using corticosteroids)	RR 0.58 [0.37, 0.92]	1 study · 39 participants	Low Downgraded: indirectness
Absence or time off school	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Quality of life	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies