A unifying theory of tonsillitis, intratonsillar abscess and peritonsillar abscess

Alex B Blair; Robert Booth; Reginald Baugh

doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2015.03.002

A unifying theory of tonsillitis, intratonsillar abscess and peritonsillar abscess

Am J Otolaryngol. 2015 Jul-Aug;36(4):517-20. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2015.03.002. Epub 2015 Mar 7.

Authors

Alex B Blair¹, Robert Booth², Reginald Baugh³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA.
² Department of Pathology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA.
³ Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA. Electronic address: reginald.baugh@utoledo.edu.

PMID: 25865201
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2015.03.002

Abstract

We review existing models of the pathogenesis of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) and intra-tonsillar abscess (ITA) and present a novel pathophysiologic model based upon observed histopathology in 2 ITAs and 10 PTAs and acute tonsillitis cases. ITA is rare, and prevailing models are only able to account for a minority of cases. The tonsillar lymphatic ultrastucture and the rapid nature of intratonsillar lymphatic transit, offer the framework for a unifying model of the development and progression of tonsillitis, PTA and ITA.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review

MeSH terms

Acute Disease
Humans
Peritonsillar Abscess / diagnosis*
Peritonsillar Abscess / etiology*
Tonsillectomy*
Tonsillitis / complications*
Tonsillitis / diagnosis
Tonsillitis / surgery