Post-adenotonsillectomy analgesia in children: The place of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Uju Matilda Ibekwe, Ediriverere Oghenekaro Port Harcourt Medical Journal 2019 13(1):41-45 Background: Adenotonsillectomy and tonsillectomy are common surgeries carried out in children under 15 years of age with associated significant pains; therefore, adequate post-operative pain management is mandatory to ensure full recovery. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), being cheap and readily available, could be used to achieve this. Objective: The objective was to determine the effectiveness of post-operative analgesia in these children using NSAIDs – diclofenac sodium/ibuprofen. Methods: All children admitted for adenotonsillectomy/tonsillectomy in the Ear, Nose and Throat surgery department from April 2016 to March 2017 were recruited. All the patients had diclofenac suppository at 1.5 mg/kg immediate post-operative period and then 12 hourly for 48 h and subsequently ibuprofen oral suspension at 5 mg/kg/dose 8 hourly for 5 days. Swallowing and the time of commencement of oral intake were used as indices to ascertain effective or adequate analgesia. The time of commencement of oral intake both for liquids and solids including the duration of hospital stay was documented and analysed using SPSS software version 20.0. The results were presented using simple statistical tables. Results: A total of 78 children were recruited, of which only 75 underwent the full study. The age ranged from 11 months to 14.5 years with 47 males and 28 females. The age group of 2.6–4.5 years was the most commonly seen, which constituted 43.59%, whereas 46.67% of these patients commenced oral intake in 0–6 h post-operation. There was no post-operative bleeding recorded. There was a mortality of 3.85%. Conclusion: NSAIDs at regular intervals offer effective analgesia after adenotonsillectomy and appear to be safe in children.