Conclusion
Our study showed no significant differences in the presenting chief complaint, clinical history or physical examination findings between patients who received a CT scan and patients who did not receive a CT scan during their emergency room evaluation for peritonsillar abscess at a tertiary healthcare centre. This calls into question the diagnostic value of CT scans in patients with a suspected PTA. We observed a common constellation of symptoms and physical exam findings, and therefore argue that a diagnosis of a PTA in patients with odynophagia, dysphagia, peritonsillar fullness and erythema, and uvular deviation should be considered first, and therefore treated as such first before considering diagnostic imaging. Surveys of Emergency Physicians and the rationale for CT scans may help to address and understand the argument for CT imaging in patients with a PTA.