ABSTRACT
Presently an indispensable part of many surgical disciplines, ultrasonically activated instruments such as the harmonic scalpel (HS) (Ethicon Endosurgery, Cincinnati, OH) are becoming progressively applied to the field of head and neck surgery. Harmonic shears have already become the instrument of choice for thyroidectomy and similar operations at many institutions (1-3). The most widespread use of HS in the field of otolaryngology is in tonsillectomy. The preliminary reports suggest that the HS might be the much sought after compromise between the precision and fast healing of the cold scalpel and the lower postoperative bleeding risk of the electrocautery (4).
