Think ultrasound first for peritonsillar swelling☆☆☆
Affiliations
- Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, NY 11203
Correspondence
- Tel.: +631 645 7200; fax: +631 239 1754.

Affiliations
- Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, NY 11203
Correspondence
- Tel.: +631 645 7200; fax: +631 239 1754.

Affiliations
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Children's Hospital of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07112

Article Info
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Fig. 1
A, Appearance of normal tonsil (white arrow) on IOU.
B, Appearance of normal tonsil (white arrow) on TCU.
Fig. 2
A, Appearance of PTC on IOU.
B, Dual-screen image of normal tonsil (left image) compared with PTC (right image).
Fig. 3
A, Anechoic fluid collection (white arrow) adjacent to tonsil consistent with PTA on IOU.
B, Irregular bordered anechoic fluid collection (white arrow) adjacent to tonsil on transcutaneous ultrasound consistent with PTA.
Fig. 4
Proper probe positioning for IOU.
Fig. 5
Relationship of carotid artery to PTA on IOU.
Fig. 6
Proper probe positioning for TCU.
Abstract
Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the most common deep neck space infections that can potentially have life-threatening complications if inadequately diagnosed and not treated promptly. The ability of clinicians to reliably differentiate PTA from peritonsillar cellulitis by physical examination alone is limited and blind needle aspiration, the typical method of diagnosis of PTA, is also unreliable. We review the available evidence supporting the use of ultrasound, either intraoral ultrasound or transcutaneous ultrasound to be the initial imaging modality of choice for evaluation of PTA and be used for real-time needle guidance.
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