{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,19]],"date-time":"2026-06-19T13:11:09Z","timestamp":1781874669470,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"California Digital Library (CDL)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]],"date-time":"2024-03-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1711411200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine"],"abstract":"<p>Introduction: Peritonsillar abscesses form between the tonsillar capsule, the superior constrictor, and palatopharyngeus muscles. Physicians traditionally make this diagnosis clinically; however, ultrasound allows clinicians to further identify and differentiate between peritonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, and phlegmon formation. By increasing both the sensitivity and speci\ufb01city, ultrasound improves the diagnostic accuracy for patients with peritonsillar abscesses. This case demonstrates the utilization of ultrasound in peritonsillar abscesses and the application of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in identifying complications of procedures used for treatment in the emergency department (ED).Case Report: A 19-year-old male presented to the ED with complaints of severe sore throat and fever for the prior \ufb01ve days. A POCUS using an endocavitary probe with sterile cover demonstrated hypoechoic debris with a \u201cswirl sign.\u201d Ultrasound was used to successfully guide needle aspiration by using in-plane needle guidance. The patient had signi\ufb01cant bleeding after needle aspiration, and repeat POCUS clearly identi\ufb01ed a new pocket of blood that had formed and was contained in the soft tissue. We monitored the size of the hematoma in real time with ultrasound to ensure the hematoma had no rapid expansion and was stable.Conclusion: Among the differential diagnoses for sore throat, the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess is particularly concerning as it is both common and generally requires swift intervention. Presentations can range from a mild infection to a life-threatening emergency with potential airway compromise. The two primary avenues for treatment include either needle aspiration or incision and drainage. Ultrasound can successfully identify the abscess and other landmarks for safe and successful drainage, as well as early identi\ufb01cation of complications.<\/p>","DOI":"10.5811\/cpcem.1645","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]],"date-time":"2024-03-26T15:49:00Z","timestamp":1711468140000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Peritonsillar Abscess and Post-aspiration Bleed Identi\ufb01ed with Point-of-care Ultrasound Using Endocavitary Probe: A Case Report"],"prefix":"10.5811","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Jaclyn","family":"Floyd","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brandon","family":"Dahl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthew","family":"Whited","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ami","family":"Kurzweil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"29705","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]]},"container-title":["Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/escholarship.org\/content\/qt3s21b196\/qt3s21b196.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T18:53:35Z","timestamp":1776279215000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/escholarship.org\/uc\/item\/3s21b196"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5811\/cpcem.1645","relation":{},"ISSN":["2474-252X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2474-252X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]]}}}