Intraoral and transcutaneous cervical ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of peritonsillar cellulitis and abscesses

Intraoral US was quite sensitive in the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscesses when performed by an experienced radiologist. Specificity was higher for transcutaneous US compared to intraoral US. However, when transcutaneous US was performed in patients with trismus, it was able to diagnose all peritonsillar abscesses, since they were large collections which are common in patients with trismus. These exams showed similar accuracy.