Transtonsillar drainage of parapharyngeal abscess

We report a parapharyngeal abscess in an adult patient that was drained transorally by performing ipsilateral tonsillectomy and aspirating the pus through the tonsillar bed. This approach is unusual as most previous studies report the aspiration of such abscesses through the lateral pharyngeal mucosa. In addition, the majority of these studies are limited to pediatric cases. Our approach was effective and resulted in a rapid resolution of the symptoms. The management and different approaches to parapharyngeal abscess are discussed, and the literature is reviewed.