A Rare Case of Bilateral Peritonsillar Abscess in a Child: An Impending Deadly Condition

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the deep neck infections. Unilateral PTA is more common than bilateral PTA and is more common in adults than children. Therefore, it is a rare condition with a low rate of incidence. To the best of our knowledge, the literature on this topic (bilateral PTA in children) is limited with this manuscript. In this study, we present a 5-year-old girl who presented with sore throat, odynophagia, and loss of appetite for two weeks, and fever for one week. On clinical examination,a bilateral enlarged tonsil with grade III-IV right tonsil, and grade III left tonsil was observed, respectively. The right tonsil is more erythematous, bulging, and exudative compared to the left tonsil, with the uvula centrally placed. The patient underwent bilateral incision and drainage under general anesthesia followed by intravenous antibiotics for one week. This case report highlighted the need for a high level of clinical suspicion to reach a prompt diagnosis. The management of the airway, which would be difficult, is an important aspect of the treatment. Thus, an immediate rapid drainage is required as much as an emergency surgical intervention to avoid unwanted morbidity and mortality.