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Pediatric Otolaryngology

Great Debates: To Drain or Not to Drain: Controversies in Pediatric Abscesses

Monday, October 2, 2023
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM East Coast USA Time
Location: Ballroom C1

    Moderator(s)

  • JS

    Jeffrey P. Simons, MD, MMM

    Professor of Otolaryngology
    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
    Pittsburgh, PA, United States

    • Debate Speaker(s)

  • Matthew Thomas Brigger, MD, MPH

    Professor
    University of California, San Diego / Rady Children's Hospital
    San Diego, CA, United States

  • SA

    Samantha Anne, MD, MS

    Medical Director, Pediatric Ear and Hearing Disorders; Associate Professor, Pediatric Otolaryngology
    Cleveland Clinic
    Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Disclosure(s):
Samantha Anne, MD, MS: No relevant relationships to disclose.
The management of children who present with complications of sinusitis and otitis remains controversial. Surgery for drainage of abscesses has been the standard of treatment. Mastoidectomy, open and endoscopic sinus surgery, and incision and drainage are procedures commonly performed to address head and neck abscesses. Recent evidence also supports the use of antibiotic therapy or less extensive surgery for the treatment of these conditions. This Great Debate will discuss both options and indications when pediatric head and neck abscesses are encountered.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss the pro’s and con’s of surgical and medical therapy for pediatric head and neck abscesses.
  • Describe a rationale, evidence-based approach for management of suppurative complications of otitis and sinusitis.