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.