A Rare Case of Bilateral Peritonsillar Abscess in a Child: An Impending Deadly Condition

Özet

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the deep neck infections. Unilateral PTA is more common than bilateral PTAand is more common in adults than children. Therefore, it is a rare condition with a low rate of incidence. Tothe best of our knowledge, the literature on this topic (bilateral PTA in children) is limited with this manuscript.In this study, we present a 5-year-old girl who presented with sore throat, odynophagia, and loss of appetitefor two weeks, and fever for one week. On clinical examination,a bilateral enlarged tonsil with grade III-IV righttonsil, and grade III left tonsil was observed, respectively. The right tonsil is more erythematous, bulging, andexudative compared to the left tonsil, with the uvula centrally placed. The patient underwent bilateral incisionand drainage under general anesthesia followed by intravenous antibiotics for one week. This case reporthighlighted the need for a high level of clinical suspicion to reach a prompt diagnosis. The management of theairway, which would be difficult, is an important aspect of the treatment. Thus, an immediate rapid drainage isrequired as much as an emergency surgical intervention to avoid unwanted morbidity and mortality.