Is routine analysis of pediatric tonsillectomy specimens worth the money? New study suggests perhaps not

Without fanfare, hundreds of thousands of children surrender their tonsils to a surgeon's scalpel each year, usually to alleviate recurring infections and obstructive sleep problems. Most of the time, the snipped tonsils are sent to a pathologist, who looks for evidence of more serious medical problems, like unsuspected cancer. But this common practice may not be cost-effective because those additional examinations rarely lead to the discovery of hidden disease, a new analysis shows.

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