• BACKGROUND
    • Peritonsillar abscess is an acute infection located between the capsule of the palatine tonsil and the superior constrictor muscle of the pharynx. The reports regarding pediatric cases have been scanty.
  • METHODS
    • A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the patients less than 18 years of age hospitalized at a medical center with a final diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess from January 1999 through December 2009. Only those who were confirmed by the drainage of pus from the peritonsillar spaces or confirmed by a computed tomography (CT) scan were enrolled.
  • RESULTS
    • In total, 56 children, 31 male and 25 female, were included. The mean age was 12.9 ± 4.6 years, ranging from 9 months to 17.9 years. Nineteen (34%) were less than 12 years of age. All 37 children ≧12 years of age complained of sore throat, but only 68% of children less than 12 years of age complained of sore throat. Thirty-one patients (55%) with a characteristic presentation of fever and sore throat plus an asymmetric swollen/bulging tonsil with or without uvular deviation suggestive of the diagnosis received surgical drainage at emergency department immediately, and 87% of them were older than 12 years of age. Twenty-five (45%) children needed a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis. The most common empirical antibiotics were penicillin-containing regimens. The predominant organisms identified were Streptococcus species. Eight children were treated successfully with antibiotics alone. No case was fatal.
  • CONCLUSION
    • Two-thirds of the children with peritonsillar abscess were ≥12 years of age. Not every patient <12 years of age had a characteristic presentation, and a CT scan was usually needed to confirm the diagnosis.