Abstract Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed ambulatory surgical procedures in children (Litman et al. in Anesth Analg 78: 478–481, 1994). Several techniques have been described for alleviation of pain (Ginstrom et al. in Acta Otolaryngol 125: 972–975, 2005). the objective of this study determination of the postoperative analgesic efficacy of the pre-surgical intravenous administration of dexamethasone together with glossopharyngeal nerve block (GNB) in children undergoing tonsillectomy.