Therapeutic alternatives and clinical outcomes in peritonsillitis.

A retrospective study was conducted on 32 patients with the discharge diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess or peritonsillar cellulitis. Three had pre-existing chronic conditions that may have contributed to the peritonsillitis. The average duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was 7.4 days. Most patients responded to penicillin given parenterally until the patient were able to take medication orally. Pus was obtained in 88 percent of the patients who underwent drainage procedures. Eight patients were treated with parenteral antibiotics without drainage, including three from whom pus was aspirated. All eight recovered without complication. The most common organism cultured was beta-hemolytic streptococcus, group A (seen in 31 percent). There was no association between the dose or type of oral antibiotic used prior to diagnosis of peritonsillar cellulitis. The clinical outcome suggests that some patients with peritonsillitis may respond to parenteral antibiotics without drainage procedures or tonsillectomy.