Long-term follow-up of tonsillectomy efficacy in children with PFAPA syndrome.

INTRODUCTION The role of tonsillectomy in the periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis, PFAPA syndrome, is controversial. Although some studies reported high success rates with tonsillectomy, further investigations are needed with larger numbers of patients. OBJECTIVE To seek the long-term outcomes of tonsillectomy in PFAPA syndrome. METHODS Case series; multi-center study. The study comprised 23 patients with PFAPA syndrome who underwent surgery (tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy) between January 2009 and November 2014. RESULTS 21 (91%) of 23 patients had complete resolution immediately after surgery. One patient had an attack 24h after surgery, but has had no further attacks. One patient had three attacks with various intervals, and complete remission was observed after 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Tonsillectomy is a good option for the treatment of PFAPA syndrome.