{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T08:46:09Z","timestamp":1792053969582,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783555200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783555200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The Laryngoscope"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Concerns have emerged that COVID\u201019\u2010related public health measures may have altered pediatric immune development and infection patterns, with studies suggesting an increase in pediatric abscesses following the pandemic. This study evaluated changes in the incidence, clinical features, and management of pediatric head and neck abscesses before, during, and after COVID\u201019 lockdown restrictions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This retrospective cohort study included 194 patients \u2264\u200918\u2009years with head and neck abscesses at two tertiary institutions from 2017 to 2024. Cases were identified using ICD\u201010 codes and confirmed by chart review. Patients were stratified into pre\u2010pandemic, lockdown, and post\u2010pandemic cohorts. Incidence rates were calculated using Poisson regression with pediatric emergency department volume as an offset. Variables were compared using Fisher's exact and Kruskal\u2013Wallis tests. National trends were contextualized using Epic Cosmos data.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Abscess incidence increased from 3.34 to 6.13 to 10.95 per 10,000 emergency department patients per year across the pre\u2010pandemic, lockdown, and post\u2010pandemic periods, respectively; representing a 3.28\u2010fold increase compared to pre\u2010pandemic levels (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.0001). Incidence increased across all anatomic subtypes, including cervical lymphadenitis with abscess, peritonsillar, deep neck space, and intracranial abscesses. Patient demographics, hospital admission rates, and time to treatment did not differ significantly between cohorts. Abscess size was larger during the lockdown period (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.047). Post\u2010pandemic patients more often required repeat surgical intervention (17.4%) compared to pre\u2010pandemic patients (5.0%).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pediatric head and neck abscesses increased significantly following the COVID\u201019 pandemic, with a sustained rise independent of demographic or treatment\u2010related factors. Continued surveillance and investigation into post\u2010pandemic pediatric host susceptibility is warranted.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Level of Evidence<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>2.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/lary.70742","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T01:37:02Z","timestamp":1783647422000},"page":"5062-5071","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Increased Pediatric Head and Neck Abscesses Following the\n                    <scp>COVID<\/scp>\n                    \u201019 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"136","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7336-468X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"DiBlasi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Creighton University School of Medicine  Omaha Nebraska USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9713-6945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ryan C.","family":"Higgins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology University of Nebraska Medical Center  Omaha Nebraska USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Welch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Creighton University School of Medicine  Omaha Nebraska USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dwight","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology University of Nebraska Medical Center  Omaha Nebraska USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arthur J.","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases University of Nebraska Medical Center  Omaha Nebraska 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