Objective: Deep neck abscess often has a rapid onset and can progress to life-threatening complications. The treatment of deep neck abscess in children is antibiotics and drainage through an incision. However, the timing and need for surgical intervention remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate which factors were associated with failure of nonsurgical treatment.
Methods: We retrospectively examined 16 children with deep neck abscess between March 2007 and October 2010 at BellLand Hospital in Japan. We determined age, sex, symptoms, location of abscess, lesion size, clinical course, white blood cell count, CRP and result of culture from infection site on admission.
Results: 5 of 16 cases had surgical drainage, and 11 cases received conservative treatment such as intravenous antibiotics. There was a statistically significant difference in the size of the abscess between the groups of surgical drainage and conservative treatment. There were no significant differences in age, sex, white blood cell count or CRP.
Conclusion: We suggest that the abscess size may be useful in selecting patients with deep neck abscess who might be treated with intravenous antibiotics alone.
