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 .
Randomized controlled trial of Coblation versus electrocautery tonsillectomy
OBJECTIVE : To compare the postoperative recovery of patients receiving Coblation-assisted ( Arthrocare , Sunnyvale , CA ) intracapsular tonsillectomy  with that of patients receiving traditional subcapsular electrocautery tonsillectomy .  STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING : This was a prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blinded , controlled study . One hundred one children , aged 2 to 16 years , were r and omized to Coblation or to conventional electrocautery tonsillectomy .  Only patients with the operative indication of obstructive sleep apnea were entered into the study .  Intracapsular tonsillectomy was performed on the Coblation group , and traditional subcapsular dissection was performed on the electrocautery group . Adenoidectomy was performed with the curette in both groups . Outcome measures were assessed on days 1 , 3 , and 5 after surgery . These included child and parental rating of pain by using the Wong Faces pain scale , analgesic use , oral intake , and activity level . Patients , parents , and the nurse practitioner obtaining the outcome data were blinded to treatment arm . RESULTS : Treatment groups were similar in age , gender , and weight . Surgical time and estimated blood loss were similar . There were no complications in either group . Coblation patients had less pain and greater oral intake at all 3 time points . Percentage of normal activity level returned to > 70 % earlier and more frequently in Coblation patients . There was slightly decreased analgesic use on postoperative day 5 in the Coblation group . CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE : Children with obstructive sleep apnea undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy demonstrate significantly better postoperative recovery after Coblation-assisted intracapsular tonsillectomy
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 .