Parotid abscess: a retrospective study of 14 cases at a regional hospital in Taiwan.

PROBLEM/OBJECTIVE: Acute suppurative sialadenitis commonly affects the parotid gland. However, acute suppurative parotitis with abscess formation is less common and possibly complicated by deep neck space infection and sepsis. Our aim was to analyze the clinical features, radiological findings, treatment modalities, and microbiology of parotid abscesses treated at a regional hospital in Taiwan over a 15-year period. METHODS: Records from patients diagnosed with acute suppurative parotitis or parotid abscesses between January 1998 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Parotid abscesses were confirmed by computed tomography (CT) examinations. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (9 males; mean age+standard deviation, 49.6 +/- 14.4 [range, 22-75] years) with parotid abscesses were included. Painful swelling at the angle of the jaw was the most common symptom. All patients sustained unilateral parotid abscesses, with left-sided lesions in 10 patients, and right-sided ones in 4 patients. Radiographically, 13 of 14 abscess lesions were located in the superficial lobe, and 1 was in the deep lobe of the parotid gland. Besides sufficient fluid hydration, maintenance of good oral hygiene, and administration of parenteral antibiotics, all patients were treated with surgical incision and drainage. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the organism most commonly isolated from abscess cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Parotid abscesses were found in about one fifth of patients with acute infectious parotid disease. Parenteral antibiotics plus surgical incision and drainage was the treatment of choice.