Peritonsillar abscess. Review of 89 patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34631/sporl.300Keywords:
Peritonsillar abscess, Fine Needle Aspiration, Sore throat, Fever, TrismusAbstract
Objectives: To review the c/inical and therapeutic aspects of the
cases of peritonsillar abscess observed during the last 13 years at
our inpatient department.
Patients and methods: Retrospective, transversal study of cases
managed at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo" (University Hospital of
Vigo) from 1994 to 2006. Data was assessed for the 89 patients
diagnosed with peritonsillar abscess, confirmed by fine needle aspiration.
Results: Age distribution of patients showed that 83.3% of them
were 20-40 years-old. Male/female ratio was 1.211. The average
time from the beginning of symptoms was 7.8 days and the most
frequent symptoms were: sare throat (92. 7 %), fever (51. 7%) and trismus (50. 6%). Antibiotics were administered to 75.3% of patients before admission. Leucocytosis was present in 75.3% of cases, and left-shift (band forms excess) in 66.3%. Staphylococcus aureus was found in 26. 7% of cultured samples. The abscess was drained in 58.4% of cases. Average length of stay at the hospital was 4.5 days and there were no deaths.
Conclusions: Peritonsillar abscess is an unfrequent entity in ENT
inpatient departments, since majority of cases are managed ambulatorily. Fine-needle aspiration, antibiotic therapy and analgesic constitute the gold-standard for diagnosis and management.
