Immediate versus Interval Tonsillectomy for Peritonsillar Abscess

Objective 1) Compare operative time and intraoperative blood loss in patients receiving either Quinsy or interval tonsillectomy for peritonsillar abscess. 2) Compare postoperative bleeding and readmission rates for patients receiving either Quinsy or interval tonsillectomy for peritonsillar abscess. Method Study design: Retrospective review. Setting: Academic tertiary pediatric hospital. Patients: Children treated between 2007 and 2011 for peritonsillar abscess. Patients were identified by searching the hospital database for all children treated for the ICD‐9 code 475 (peritonsillar abscess). Children who never received a tonsillectomy (CPT codes 42820/42821/42825/42826) were excluded. Results A total of 49 children received tonsillectomy for peritonsillar abscess from 2007 to 2011. Of these, 37 received a Quinsy tonsillectomy, and 12 received antibiotics with or without incision and drainage, followed by tonsillectomy a minimum of 2 weeks later. Total hospital days in treatment course was 2.2 days for the Quinsy tonsillectomy group and 2.3 days for the interval tonsillectomy group. Estimated blood loss was less than 20 milliliters for both groups. Operative time was 38 minutes for Quinsy tonsillectomy and 39 minutes for interval tonsillectomy. There were no posttonsillectomy hemorrhages. One patient in the interval tonsillectomy group required readmission for dehydration. Conclusion There were no significant differences in total hospital days, blood loss, operative time, or postoperative complications between Quinsy tonsillectomy and interval tonsillectomy in the treatment of pediatric peritonsillar abscess.