Trial reportThe Laryngoscope2026
Transoral Ultrasound in the Diagnostic Workup of Peritonsillar Abscess-A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Trial report in The Laryngoscope, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Transoral Ultrasound in the Diagnostic Workup of Peritonsillar Abscess-A Randomized Clinical Trial.The Laryngoscope · 2026Trial
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPeritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a common deep head and neck infection in younger adults. Because the condition can be difficult to distinguish from peritonsillar cellulitis on clinical examination, many patients undergo unnecessary diagnostic blind needle aspiration attempts. For this reason, transoral ultrasound has been suggested as a point-of-care imaging modality that may improve the diagnostic workup of PTA. This randomized clinical trial explores whether transoral ultrasound improves the management of patients with peritonsillar infection.
methodsA multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted at the departments of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet and Odense University Hospital in Denmark. Patients suspected of having a peritonsillar abscess were randomized to either standard clinical examination (control group) or standard clinical examination combined with transoral ultrasound (intervention group).
resultsNinety-five patients (58 at Rigshospitalet and 37 at Odense University Hospital) were included in the study by 28 different physicians. Forty-seven patients were allocated to the intervention group and 48 to the control group. The diagnostic accuracy was 80.9% in the intervention group versus 72.9% in the control group (p = 0.50). In the control group, 18 (37.5%) underwent unsuccessful needle aspirations compared to 12 (26.0%) in the intervention group. The intervention group underwent 31.9% fewer needle aspiration attempts compared with the control group (p < 0.01).
conclusionTransoral ultrasound can significantly decrease the number of needle aspiration attempts in patients with a suspected peritonsillar abscess. Still, we could not find any significant improvement in diagnostic accuracy or improved patient outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2:
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