All 4 faces pain scales were found to be adequately supported by psychometric data .
When given a choice between faces scales , children preferred the WBFPRS .
Confounding of pain intensity with affect caused by use of smiling and crying anchor faces is a disadvantage of the WBFPRS .
: For clinical use , we found no grounds to switch from 1 faces scale to another when 1 of the scales is in use .
CONTEXT : Numerous faces scales have been developed for the measurement of  pain intensity in children .
It remains unclear whether any one of the faces scales is better for a particular purpose with regard to validity , reliability , feasibility , and preference .
OBJECTIVES : To summarize and systematic ally review faces pain scales most commonly used to obtain self-report of pain intensity in children for evaluation of reliability and validity and to compare the scales for preference and utility .
Comparison of Posttonsillectomy Pain Using the Ultrasonic Scalpel, Coblator, and Electrocautery
OBJECTIVES : To compare postoperative tonsillectomy pain between 3 commonly used surgical devices : the Harmonic Ultrasonic Scalpel ( Ethicon Endo-Surgery , Cincinnati , OH ) , the Coblator ( ArthroCare Corp , Sunnyvale , CA ) , and electrocautery . STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING : A prospect i ve , r and omized trial . One hundred thirty-four patients were r and omly assigned to receive a tonsillectomy with 1 of 3 surgical devices . All patients were asked to fill out a postoperative diary . RESULTS : Statistically significant differences in pain scores were revealed between the Coblator and electrocautery ( P = 0.02 ) and between the Coblator and the Ultrasonic Scalpel ( P = 0.003 ) , with the Coblator having lower pain scores .  Electrocautery and the Ultrasonic Scalpel did not differ significantly from each other . The Coblation method showed a strong trend toward quicker return to normal diet . CONCLUSION : Patients undergoing tonsillectomy with the Coblator device reported less pain over a 10-day period than patients undergoing tonsillectomy  with electrocautery or the Ultrasonic Scalpel .  Pain after tonsillectomy remains a major issue for our patients . The choice of surgical instrument appears to be one way to reduce this pain . EBM rating :
All 4 faces pain scales were found to be adequately supported by psychometric data .
When given a choice between faces scales , children preferred the WBFPRS .
Confounding of pain intensity with affect caused by use of smiling and crying anchor faces is a disadvantage of the WBFPRS .
: For clinical use , we found no grounds to switch from 1 faces scale to another when 1 of the scales is in use .
CONTEXT : Numerous faces scales have been developed for the measurement of  pain intensity in children .
It remains unclear whether any one of the faces scales is better for a particular purpose with regard to validity , reliability , feasibility , and preference .
OBJECTIVES : To summarize and systematic ally review faces pain scales most commonly used to obtain self-report of pain intensity in children for evaluation of reliability and validity and to compare the scales for preference and utility .