Characteristics and outcomes of randomised trials
| First author | Validity score | Inclusion period | Inclusion criteria | Treatment characteristics and group size | Mean age at inclusion (y) | Outcome assessment | Outcome | Episode at follow up in T±Ads group (y) | Episode at follow up in control group (y) | Risk difference with 95% CI (episodes/year) | Risk ratio with 95% CI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Paradise three way (2002) | 6 | 12 years | Different criteria for different age groups: −5 or 6 episodes in past year or 4 in past 2 years (age 3–6 years) −4–6 episodes in past year or 3 in past 2 years (age 7–15 year) | T+Ads (n = 59) versus tonsillectomy (n = 58) versus no surgery (n = 60) | T+Ads: 7.4 Tonsillectomy: 7.4 Control: 7.4 | 1, 2, and 3 years | Sore throat episodes | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 | −1.0 (−1.3 to −0.7) | 0.62 (0.54 to 0.72) |
| Sore throat associated days school absence | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 3.7 | −1.5 (−1.9 to −1.1) | 0.67 (0.60 to 0.75) | |||||||
| Paradise two way (2002) | 5 | 12 years | As Paradise three way 2002 | T+Ads (n = 73) versus no surgery (n = 78) | T+Ads: 7.4 Control: 7.4 | 1, 2, and 3 years | Sore throat episodes | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.4 | −1.3 (−1.6 to −1.0) | 0.57 (0.49 to 0.66) |
| Sore throat associated days school absence | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 4.2 | −2.3 (−2.8 to −1.9) | 0.57 (0.51 to 0.64) | |||||||
| Mawson (1967) | 4 | Not given | Children who would be normally placed on the waiting list for T+Ads | T+Ads (n = 202) versus no surgery (n = 202) | T+Ads: 6.0 Control: 5.8 | 1 and 2 years | Sore throat episodes | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 | −1.3 (−1.5 to −1.2) | 0.33 (0.29 to 0.39) | ||
| URI episodes | 4.0 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 3.6 | −0.6 (−0.9 to −0.3) | 0.85 (0.79 to 0.92) | |||||||||
| McKee II (1963) | 4 | 6 months | ⩾3 throat infections or URI with cervical adenitis in past 12 months | T+Ads (n = 100) versus adenoidectomy (n = 100) | T+Ads: 6.7 Ads: 6.5 | 1 year | Sore throat episodes | 0.3 | 1.5 | −1.1 (−1.4 to −0.9) | 0.22 (0.15 to 0.32) | ||||
| URI episodes | 3.1 | 3.3 | −0.2 (−0.7 to 0.3) | 0.94 (0.80 to 1.1) | |||||||||||
| Sore throat associated days school absence | 0.7 | 4.4 | −3.7 (−4.2 to −3.2) | 0.16 (0.12 to 0.20) | |||||||||||
| Paradise (1984) | 2 | 11 years | ⩾7 throat infections in past year or ⩾5 throat infections in past two years or ⩾3 throat infections in past 3 years | T±Ads (n = 43) versus no surgery (n = 48) | T±Ads: 8.1 Control: 8.1 | 1, 2, and 3 years | Sore throat episodes | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.2 | −1.2 (−1.7 to −0.8) | 0.55 (0.44 to 0.68) |
| Sore throat associated days school absence | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.9 | −1.9 (−2.6 to −1.2) | 0.69 (0.60 to 0.80) | |||||||
| McKee I (1963) | 1 | 11 months | ⩾3 throat infections or URI with cervical adenitis in past 12 months | T+Ads (n = 231) versus no surgery (n = 182) | T+Ads: 6.7 Controls: 6.5 | 1 and 2 years | Sore throat episodes | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | −1.2 (−1.3 to −1.0) | 0.23 (0.19 to 0.28) | ||
| URI episodes | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | −0.4 (−0.7 to −0.2) | 0.87 (0.80 to 0.94) | |||||||||
| Sore throat associated days school absence | 1.0 | 0.7 | 6.7 | 3.3 | −4.1 (−4.4 to −3.9) | 0.17 (0.15 to 0.19) | |||||||||