No abstract available.
Humans ; Needles* ; Peritonsillar Abscess*

Peritonsillar abscess occurs commonly and is well known as a result of infection of the peritonsillar space. Peritonsillar abscess rarely occurrs following perfectely performed tonsillectomy. Instead, the most likely causes are due to the retained tonsillar tissue remnants, to the persistence of Weber's gland, and to the second branchial cleft fistula disruption secondary to tonsillectomy. There are no case reports or reviews existing in the Korean medical literature. We present two cases of peritonsillar abscess that occurred after tonsillectomy with a review of the international literatures.
Branchial Region ; Fistula ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; Tonsillectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical differentiation of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) from peritonsillar cellulitis is sometimes difficult and physicians often rely on blind needle aspiration to locate abscess formation. According to previous studies, intraoral ultrasound is a useful, simple, and noninvasive technique that candifferentiate PTA from cellulitis in clinically equivocal cases, although it may cause some discomfort. The objective of this study was to establish a neck ultrasonographic technique that candifferentiate PTA from cellulitis in borderline cases and thereby to avoid unnecessary needle aspiraton. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The study population included 44 patients (32 males and 12 females; age range 13 to 59 years) with clinically suspected PTA. These patientsunderwent neck ultrasonography examination before needle aspiration of abscess. RESULTS: On the basis of neck ultrasonography, 38 patients were considered as PTA and 6 as cellulitis. Neck ultrasonography was able to detect peritonsillar abscess in 94.7 per cent of the cases (sensitivity). The specificity of the test was 83.3 per cent, and accuracy was 79.1 per cent. CONCLUSION: Neck ultrasonography is a useful, simple, well-tolerated non-invasive technique that can be used to differentiate PTA from cellulitis in clinically equivocal cases.
Abscess ; Cellulitis ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; Needles ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical differentiation of peritonsillar abscess from peritonsillar cellulitis can be difficult and often relies on diagnostic needle aspiration that is invasive. The differential diagnosis of the two conditions is very important for the planning of treatment. This study is to evaluate the usefulness of gray scale image (GSI) and color doppler image (CDI) using intraoral ultrasonography in differential diagnosis of the peritonsillar abscess from peritonsillar cellulitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with suspected peritonsillar abscess were included in this study. GSI and CDI of the intraoral ultrasonography with 7-MHz curved linear array transducer were used. RESULTS: The peritonsillar abscess showed inhomogeneously hypoechoic or cystic space on GSI and rim-shaped color flow signal on CDI. The peritonsillar cellulitis showed homogeneously hypoechoic or striated textual appearance on GSI and diffusely increased color signal on CDI. The sensitivity of GSI for diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess and peritonsillar cellulitis was 91.7% and 77.8%, respectively, whereas the specificiy of CDI proved to be 100% for the diagnosis of both conditions. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that intraoral ultrasonography is a useful and noninvasive technique for diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess.
Cellulitis ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Needles ; Peritonsillar Abscess* ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography*

Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Mediastinitis ; complications ; Neck ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; complications

Kawasaki disease (KD) causes multisystemic vasculitis but infrequently manifests with deep neck infections, such as a peritonsillar abscess, peritonsillar or deep neck cellulitis, suppurative parapharyngeal infection, or retropharyngeal abscess. As its etiology is still unknown, the diagnosis is usually made based on typical symptoms. The differential diagnosis between KD and deep neck infections is important, considering the variable head and neck manifestations of KD. There are several reports on KD patients who were initially diagnosed with retropharyngeal abscess on on computed tomography scans (CT). However, the previously reported cases did not have abscess or fluid collection on retropharyngeal aspiration. Therefore, false-positive neck CT scans have been obtained, until recently. In this case, suspected neck abscess in patients with KD unresponsive to intravenous immunoglobulin could signal the possible coexistence of suppurative cervical lymphadenitis.
Abscess ; Cellulitis ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drainage ; Head ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphadenitis ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Neck ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; Retropharyngeal Abscess ; Vasculitis

A peritonsillar abscess is one of the most commonly occurring deep space infections of the head and neck in adults and children. A peritonsillar abscess that appears in newborns, however, is extremely rare. The treatment of a peritonsillar abscess requires both the selection of appropriate antibiotics and the best procedure to remove the abscessed material. We report a case of a peritonsillar abscess in a 40-day-old infant who was treated with antibiotic therapy alone.
Tonsillectomy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Peritonsillar Abscess/*diagnosis/*radiography/therapy ; Male ; Infant ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Peritonsillitis is a clinical condition of gross tonsillar infection in a septic patient with localized swelling in the peritonsillar region, and which encompasses both peritonsillar abscess and cellulitis. It is not rarely experienced in spite of decreasing incidence since the advent of antibiotic therapy. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was a clinical observation of many factors in relation to peritonsillitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A clinical observation was performed on 40 cases with peritonsillitis, who visited St. Benedict hospital during 3 years from February 1994 to March 1997. A needle aspiration was attempted at the point of maximum bulging using a 10cc syringe with an 18-gauge needle. RESULTS: Among 40 cases, 23 cases yielded pus. From those 23 cases, we could isolate 22 strains in 20 cases. Incision and drainage was performed only in cases of aspiration of pus(23 cases). There was no significant difference in duration of hospitalization between I & D group(7.17 days) and non-I & D group(6.71 days)(p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that I & D can't reduce the duration of hospitalization even though I & D is helpful for the relief of symptoms, and the adequate use of antibiotics is important for the treatment of peritonsillitis.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cellulitis ; Drainage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Needles ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; Suppuration ; Syringes

Aneurysm, False ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Humans ; Paracentesis ; Peritonsillar Abscess

Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/diagnosis* ; Peritonsillar Abscess/diagnosis*