title: Clinical factor for successful nonsurgical treatment of pediatric peritonsillar abscess.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current management for peritonsillar abscess in pediatric patients includes intensive medical therapy using antibiotics with or without surgical drainage. However, attaining proper surgical drainage is difficult in young children because they have narrow oral cavities and are less cooperative than adults. The aim of this study was to investigate which factors are associated with a good response to nonsurgical treatment of a pediatric peritonsillar abscess.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included consecutive children who visited our pediatric clinic for the treatment of peritonsillar abscess. All patients initially received medical treatment, and additional surgical treatment was provided if the patient appeared unlikely to recover. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with a good response to nonsurgical treatment. In addition, a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to identify the age cutoff for predicting good treatment response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 88 children were included the study. Patient age, recurrent tonsillitis, and abscess size were significantly associated with response to nonsurgical treatment (adjusted odds ratios=1.485, 2.403, and 1.325, respectively) after adjusting for sex, body mass index, season, serum C-reactive protein levels, and tonsil grade. The age cutoff associated with good response to nonsurgical treatment was 7.5 years (80.0% sensitivity, 51.5% specificity).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that a younger age, fewer episodes of acute tonsillitis, and smaller abscess size predict a successful response to nonsurgical treatment in children with peritonsillar abscess.
  
  
  METHODS
  4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.|Nano-Bio Regenerative Medical Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.|Nano-Bio Regenerative Medical Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.|Nano-Bio Regenerative Medical Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chan Hum
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D000039:Peritonsillar Abscess / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Peritonsillar abscess; antibiotics; children; deep neck infection; drainage