The value of transcutaneous ultrasound in the diagnosis of tonsillar abscess: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the appropriate treatment in the tonsillar region's infections, a distinction between tonsillitis with or without abscess formation is essential. Ultrasound proved to be a valuable method in identifying abscess formation in the head and neck region. However, no report described the assessment of the tonsil region. This study aims to determine the feasibility of transcervical ultrasound for abscess visualization in the palatal tonsillar region. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 354 patients presenting with clinical suspicion of tonsillar abscess to a tertiary referral center and university hospital. All patients received a transcervical ultrasound to establish a primary diagnosis. The existence of an abscess was confirmed by puncture and incision, or final tonsillectomy. If no abscess could be delineated, non-abscessing tonsillitis was supposed, and conservative primary therapy and closed follow-up examinations were performed. RESULTS: After the first diagnostic ultrasound examination, in 257 cases (72.59%), the diagnosis of an abscess could be established, but in 97 cases (27.40%), due to missing abscess formation criteria, non-abscessing tonsillitis was documented. Overall, ultrasonography demonstrated an overall accuracy of 78.8% in this selected cohort. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV after the first ultrasound examination were calculated with 75.1%, 88.6%, 94.6%, and 57.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The presented data confirm that an abscess formation due to tonsillitis can be detected by transcervical ultrasound, enabling prompt, adequate management. As transcervical ultrasound can be conducted fast and is not associated with radiation, it can be regarded as a first-line diagnostic tool in this condition.

Amigdalitis prolongada con pobre respuesta al manejo, raro caso de tuberculosis extrapulmonar / Prolonged tonsilitis with poor response to therapy: a rare case of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

La tuberculosis es la primera causa de mortalidad infectocontagiosa a nivel mundial. La tuberculosis pulmonar corresponde a la presentación más frecuente, sin embargo, el 15 % de los casos cursan con infección extrapulmonar, siendo raro el compromiso amigdalino. Este reporte de caso describe a un paciente de 39 años con odinofagia recurrente secundaria a amigdalitis por Mycobacterium tuberculosis, un raro caso de tuberculosis extrapulmonar. La amigdalitis es una infección leve y frecuente de la vía aérea superior, que responde adecuadamente al manejo antibiótico; sin embargo, cuadros recurrentes y prolongados, manifestaciones atípicas o pobre respuesta a la antibioticoterapia son características que obligan a la búsqueda de diagnósticos diferenciales, lo que lleva a considerar la presencia de Mycobacterium tuberculosis como agente etiológico, especialmente en países con alto índice de tuberculosis como Colombia

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious mortality worldwide. The pulmonary one corresponds to the most frequent presentation, however up to 15% of tuberculosis cases present extrapulmonary involvement, tonsillar tuberculosis being rare. The following is a case report of a 39-year-old patient with recurrent odynophagia secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis tonsillitis, a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Tonsillitis is a benign and extremely common infection of the upper airway. Such patients benefit from systemic antibiotics, although, recurrent episodes, prolonged odynophagia, atypical manifestations, or poor response to antimicrobial therapy forces consideration of diagnostic possibilities other than the obvious, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the etiological agent, especially in countries with the highest rates of tuberculosis.

Advantages of otorhinolaryngologist performed transcervical ultrasonography in the management of peritonsillar abscess.

OBJECTIVES: Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a very common infection, in particular in pediatric and adolescent population. A distinction between peritonsillar cellulitis and abscess should be made to determine the appropriate treatment. Nonetheless, the difference cannot always be made on physical examination alone and often requires imaging by computed tomography (CT). Radiation exposure as well as the cost and waiting time question the use of CT in this pathology. We present our experience in the use of Transcutaneous Cervical Ultrasonography for the diagnosis and management of peritonsillar abscess in the adult population. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical-prospective. METHODS: Adult patients were evaluated for suspicion of PTA. Clinical findings were documented and all patients underwent a Transcutaneous Cervical Ultrasonography performed by a second otorhinolaryngology specialist well versed in Ultrasonography without knowing the clinical history, details of the physical examination, or the suspected side. Ultrasonography findings were later compared with the clinical examination and outcome of the medical or surgical management. RESULTS: Eight adult patients (range 18-53 year-old) were enrolled in the study. Six of them, had, ultrasonography findings compatible with a peritonsillar liquid collection underwent surgical drainage that confirmed and drained an abscess. On two patients, the ultrasonography images described an aspect of peritonsillar cellulitis that was managed conservatively and showed a favorable remission. No complications during stay or side effects or intolerance to the ultrasound were recorded. CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous Cervical ultrasonography is a fast, useful tool, better tolerated than the intra-oral ultrasonography in diagnosing PTA. It avoids all irradiation exposure is much cheaper and the waiting time is shorter. Worth noting, is the richness of information pertaining the anatomy, vessels and abscess location and extension, for the surgeon performing the exam just prior to surgery. The efficiency and training of otorhinolaryngology specialists with this technique shows numerous promising benefits and deserves to be further developed.

Amigdalitis hemorrágica espontánea abscedada: revisión bibliográfica y reporte de un caso / Spontaneous tonsillar hemorrhage and abscess: bibliographic review and case report

En este artículo se presenta un paciente que en contexto de un cuadro amigdalino agudo bilateral con un absceso periamigdalino unilateral concomitante presenta sangrado espontáneo proveniente de la amígdala abscedada. Los signos y síntomas observados en este paciente, así como los estudios complementarios son compatibles con la entidad clínica definida como amigdalitis hemorrágica espontánea, una complicación altamente infrecuente de la amigdalitis aguda y/o crónica en nuestra época, la que solía tener una gran tasa de mortalidad y gravedad en la era preantibiótica. A continuación, se reúnen y analizan los antecedentes descritos en la literatura referidos a este cuadro, al igual que su estudio complementario requerido para definir conducta, la cual es fundamentalmente de resorte quirúrgico.

In this article we report a patient who, in the context of a bilateral acute tonsillar condition with a concomitant unilateral peritonsillar abscess presents spontaneous bleeding from the abscessed tonsil. The clinical features observed in our patient, as well as the complementary studies are all compatible with the clinical entity known as spontaneous tonsil hemorrhage, a highly rare complication of acute and/or chronic tonsillitis in our time, which used to have major severity and mortality rate in the pre-antibiotic era. Following next, we gather and analyze the information described in literature referred to this affliction, as well as the complementary tests required to define its fundamentally surgical management.

Un caso raro de mediastinitis necrosante descendente / An Unusual Case of Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis

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High-Frequency Ultrasound: A Novel Diagnostic Tool to Measure Pediatric Tonsils in 3 Dimensions.

OBJECTIVE: A wide variety of pathologies can affect the palatine tonsils. Ultrasound is a commonly used modality for assessing head and neck masses in children; however, its use in tonsillar evaluation has not been widely explored. The objective of this study was to measure 3-dimensional tonsillar size with ultrasound, in centimeters, and correlate these measurements with actual ex vivo dimensions on pathology specimens. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a prospective cohort study. SETTING: The study was set in a tertiary care children's hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Children undergoing tonsillectomy were included in the study. Transcervical high-frequency ultrasonography (HFU) was performed prior to surgery to obtain 3-dimensional measurements of the right and left palatine tonsils. Mean sizes were compared to ex vivo tonsil measurements and correlations were obtained. RESULTS: Seventy-five consecutive children underwent a transcervical HFU, with a total of 150 tonsils analyzed. The mean differences between HFU and pathology measurements were -0.08 cm and -0.24 cm for the right and left craniocaudal axes, -0.19 cm and -0.18 cm for the right and left mediolateral axes, and 0.05 cm and 0.03 cm for the right and left anteroposterior axes. Correlation coefficients between ultrasound and pathology measurements were all above 0.5. CONCLUSION: HFU can accurately measure the size of pediatric tonsils in 3 dimensions.

Intramural oesophageal abscess: an unusual complication of tonsillitis.

Tonsillitis is an extremely common condition, usually it is self-limiting, of viral origin, and managed conservatively in general practice. Rarely patients require inpatient management, usually when bacterial infection is present or when the cause is virulent organisms such as Epstein Barr virus. Complications can be divided into non-suppurative; sepsis, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis and Lemierres disease, and suppurative; quinsy, parapharyngeal abscess and retropharyngeal abscess, respectively. Anecdotally, there is concern that modern medical practice that counsels vigilance against overuse of antibiotics, could lead to increased complications of tonsillitis. We report a case of an otherwise healthy man who presented with dysphagia, odynophagia and neck pain following a sore throat. Despite antibiotic treatment he developed an intramural oesophageal abscess, to our knowledge, an unreported complication of tonsillitis.

Palatine Tonsilloliths: A Retrospective Study on 500 Digital Panoramic Radiographs.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate palatine tonsilloliths in the Lebanese population via digital panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Digital panoramic radiographs of a sample of 500 Lebanese adult patients (281 females and 219 males) with an average age of 47.9 years were included in this study and assessed for tonsilloliths. The IBM® SPSS® (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) version 20.0 for Windows was used to carry out statistical analysis of the data collected. RESULTS: Tonsilloliths were found in 7.2% of cases (36 out of 500; belonging to 18 females and 18 males). Among these, 13 cases were on the right side, 12 on the left side and 11 were bilateral. Affected patients' age ranged from 24 to 84 years (mean of 61 years). There was no statically significant relation between tonsilloliths presence and gender, while a low positive correlation was observed between tonsilloliths and age (r = 0.193). CONCLUSION: Palatine tonsilloliths may be discovered fortuitously on panoramic radiographs utilized regularly in dental offices; their incidence increases with age. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Panoramic radiographs may have a beneficial role in detecting palatine tonsilloliths sometimes connected to unpleasant symptoms such as non-specific chronic halitosis.

Non-traumatic causes of fluid in the retropharyngeal space.

There are multiple reasons for imaging the soft tissues of the neck in the emergency setting, in particular when symptoms are vague or if there is worry for complications from a certain clinical diagnosis. When fluid is seen in the retropharyngeal space, it is important to pay attention to history and look at key structures in the neck. This article will discuss anatomy of the retropharyngeal space, followed by four causes of fluid within the space that the radiologist is likely to encounter in the emergency setting: tonsillitis/pharyngitis, acute calcific tendinitis of the longus colli muscles, internal jugular vein thrombosis, and post-radiation changes. It is important to recognize these entities because each has different clinical implications and management.

Streptococcal tonsillitis related reactive arthritis - clinical, ultrasound imaging and immunohistochemical study.

In clinical practice and literature studies, the most common condition associated to streptococcal tonsillitis used to be acute rheumatic fever (ARF). Several publications in the late years report a more frequent and distinctive entity from ARF following ß-hemolytic group A streptococcus infection in patients with post-infectious arthritis, that do not fulfill the modified Jones criteria, the so-called post-streptococcal reactive arthritis (PSRA). A distinctive pattern of clinical framing and biological profile in patients with PSRA following streptococcal tonsillitis is described, with a non-migratory, additive, recent onset (7-10 days) arthritis that affects small and large joints as well, with a bimodal peak of incidence at 8-14 and 21-37 years of age, with variate response to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and has a tendency for recurrence and persistence. Sacroiliitis, although rare, is described in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 positive PSRA patients. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate various immunohistochemical patterns of streptococcal tonsillitis in patients with PSRA and find possible correlations with the clinical, biological and ultrasound profile.

A rare complication of tonsillitis: septic arthritis of the temporomandibular joint.

Septic arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a rarely seen clinical condition. Such an infection may be encountered following infections in the head and neck region, with direct or haematogenous spread to the joint. This article presents the case of a patient with tonsillitis leading to septic arthritis of the TMJ and reports the results of a review of the literature.

Zygomatic haematoma in an 11-month-old helps diagnose retropharyngeal abscess, with concurrent tonsillitis and subsequent infant tonsillectomy.

An 11-month-old boy presented with a 2-day history of non-specific symptoms and a zygomatic haematoma. With aetiology uncertain after admission clerking and blood tests, a CT head scan was arranged for suspected traumatic injury and revealed a retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) with significant airway narrowing in the transverse plane. The patient received urgent intraoral abscess drainage and bilateral tonsillectomy in theatre. This case highlights the need for a high index of suspicion regarding RPAs. These abscesses have potentially fatal sequelae and are difficult to diagnose in the infant paediatric population.

Neck computed tomography in pediatric neck mass as initial evaluation in ED: is it malpractice?

BACKGROUND: Although ultrasound is regarded as the first choice imaging modality for evaluating a pediatric neck mass, neck computed tomography (CT) is necessary for urgent surgical conditions such as deep neck infections. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of and proper patient selection for neck CT as a method for the initial evaluation of pediatric neck masses in the emergency department. METHODS: We analyzed the medical records of 105 pediatric patients who visited the emergency department with neck mass whose initial imaging work-up was a neck CT and who visited the emergency department with a neck mass. The parameters investigated included the patient's age, sex, symptom duration, clinical impression, CT interpretation, final diagnosis, and treatment. The positive predictive value (PPV) for CT was calculated, and the parameters that correlated with an urgent surgical condition post-CT were evaluated. RESULTS: The median age was 6.5 years (1 month to 12 years), and the male-to-female ratio was 2:1. The most common initial impression was acute cervical lymphadenopathy. A comparison of the final diagnosis and CT scan demonstrated that the overall PPV was 96.2%. If the initial impression was a deep neck infection, a salivary gland infection, or tonsillitis, the PPV for CT was 100%. Fever (>38.0°C) and severe tenderness were significant between patients with and without urgent surgical conditions on CT. CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomography could be considered as the first diagnostic modality when an urgent surgical condition such as a deep neck infection is highly suspected.