Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32243441›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Peritonsillar abscess may not always be a complication of acute tonsillitis: A prospective cohort study.

Enni Sanmark, Johanna Wikstén, Hannamari Välimaa, Leena-Maija Aaltonen, Taru Ilmarinen, Karin Blomgren

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Association between clinical outcome and microbiological findings in peritonsillar abscess - an observational study.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
    Observational
  4. Long-term effectiveness of tonsillotomy versus tonsillectomy: A 12-year follow-up study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Enni SanmarkDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0003-0209-5501
Johanna WiksténDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Hannamari VälimaaDepartment of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Leena-Maija AaltonenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Taru IlmarinenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Karin BlomgrenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Helsinki University Hospital · FIUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The present study aimed to specify diagnostics for peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs) and to clarify the role of minor salivary glands. This prospective cohort study included 112 patients with acute tonsillitis (AT) and PTA recruited at a tertiary hospital emergency department between February and October 2017. All patients completed a questionnaire concerning their current disease. Serum amylase (S-Amyl) and C-reactive protein (S-CRP) levels, tonsillar findings, and pus aspirate samples and throat cultures were analyzed. Eight of 58 PTA patients (13.8%) had no signs of tonsillar infection. The absence of tonsillar erythema and exudate was associated with low S-CRP (p<0.001) and older age (p<0.001). We also observed an inverse correlation between S-Amyl and S-CRP levels (AT, r = -0.519; PTA, r = -0.353). Therefore, we observed a group of PTA patients without signs of tonsillar infection who had significantly lower S-CRP levels than other PTA patients. These findings support that PTA may be caused by an etiology other than AT. Variations in the S-Amyl levels and a negative correlation between S-Amyl and S-CRP levels may indicate that minor salivary glands are involved in PTA development.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAmylasesC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPalatine TonsilPeritonsillar AbscessPrevalenceProspective StudiesSalivary Glands, MinorStreptococcal InfectionsAmylasesC-Reactive Protein

Identifiers

PMID32243441
PMCPMC7122714
OpenAlexW3014786671

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.