Variations in treatment of peritonsillar abscess in four Nordic countries.

AbstractConclusion: In four Nordic countries, peritonsillar abscess (PTA) patients are treated rather differently. Objectives: To study how such patients are treated in those countries. Methods: The 81 chief physicians of otorhinolaryngology departments of all central hospitals in Denmark (n = 15), Norway (n = 19), Sweden (n = 27), and Finland (n = 20) received a multiple-choice questionnaire. Results: A total of 73 physicians (90%) replied. The largest differences arose in treating patients with intravenous versus per oral antibiotics, and treating as inpatients versus outpatients. In Finland, 50% of PTA patients aged >16 years were treated as inpatients and 50% as outpatients, whereas the respective quotas in Sweden were 9 and 91%, Norway 19 and 81%, and Denmark 33 and 67%. Of Finnish physicians, 30% treated their patients primarily with oral antibiotics, 70% with intravenous antibiotics; in Sweden 91 vs 9%, Norway 53 vs 47%, and Denmark 18 vs 82%. In Denmark, almost all patients were operated on immedi...