Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized trial comparing intraoral ultrasound to landmark-based needle aspiration in patients with suspected peritonsillar abscess.
Traditionally, emergency physicians (EPs) have used anatomic landmark-based needle aspiration to drain peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs). If this failed, an imaging study and/or consultation with another service to perform the drainage is obtained. Recently, some EPs have used ultrasound (US) to guide PTA drainage. This study seeks to determine which initial approach leads to greater successful drainage. The primary objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of EPs for detecting PTA or peritonsillar cellulitis (PTC) using either intraoral US or initial needle aspiration after visual inspection (the landmark technique [LM]). Secondary objectives included the successful aspiration of purulent material in those patients with a PTA in each arm, the use of computed tomography (CT) scanning in each arm, and the otolaryngology (ENT) consultation rate in each arm. ⋯ An initial intraoral US performed by EPs can reliably diagnose PTC and PTA. Additionally, using intraoral US to assist in the drainage of PTAs with needle aspiration leads to greater success compared to the traditional method of LM relying on physical exam alone.