Background: This is a descriptive study of in-patient
paediatric population with the diagnosis of neck abscess.
The objective of this study was to calculate the number of
children who require conservative (antibiotic) management
compared to surgery for neck abscess. A second objective
was to identify the factors influencing the choice of the
treatments selected.
Methods: A retrospective review was performed on a group
of paediatric population aged 0 till 12 years of age, with a
history of admission to paediatric ENT ward from the year
2010 till 2015 in HTJS. Initially, 69 children with the
diagnoses of various neck infections were identified. Then,
the sample amount was narrowed to 30 patients with neck
abscesses only.
Results: The data analysis was performed using descriptive
statistics, Chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test. Twentyfive out of the 30 patients required operative drainage of
abscess (83.3%). In this group, children aged ≤2 years old
were the largest group to have undergone surgical drainage.
Only five patients were successfully treated with antibiotic
therapy alone. Nineteen children came only after developing
neck swelling for more than a week, in which 18 of them
required surgery.
Conclusion: Younger group of children are more likely to
undergo surgical drainage than older children for neck
abscess. Also, children who came in after two weeks of
symptoms have a higher probablity of requiring surgery
than antbiotic alone. Nonetheless, every child who comes in
with neck abscess should be evaluated and treated early to
avoid any sinister complications.