Peritonsillar abscess: is there any evidence of lateralized distribution? An analysis of 294 patients.

OBJECTIVE

Generally, peritonsillar abscess (PTA) occurs only on one side. Diseases of paired organs show a distinct asymmetry of occurrence: for instance gynaecomastia, varicocele, trigeminal neuralgia, carcinoma of the breast and carcinoma of the ethmoid sinus. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to investigate a possible dominance of one side in PTA.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: Lateralization of a PTA was studied in 294 patients treated at Radebeul Hospital between January 2004 and December 2009.

RESULT: We found only a slight predominance of the left side in male as well as female patients.

CONCLUSION

The cause of the slight asymmetry is unclear. It is also possible that the non significant dominance is coincidental.