Methods
A retrospective chart review of adult patients who presented to a tertiary-level hospital in Canada from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, was performed. All patients who presented to the Emergency Department who received a chief complaint category of “neck swelling/pain”, “sore throat” and “difficulty swallowing” were included in the initial screening. These patient charts were reviewed to determine those who were diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess. Of those patients diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess, two groups were created, those who underwent a CT scan of the neck, and those who did not.
General patient demographics such as age, gender, triage-assigned chief complaint, and history of previous peritonsillar abscess for both groups was collected. In addition, the frequency of patient complaints such as unilateral or bilateral throat pain, odynophagia, dysphonia, and constitutional symptoms (ie. fevers, chills), and physical exam findings for both groups were documented.