RED FLAG FRIDAY: Sore Throats

When someone comes in for a sore throat, I look especially for a peritonsilar abscess. And when I do NOT find one, this is how I document a normal exam: Tonisilar pillars are symmetric and uvula a midline. If there is a peritonsilar abscess—which happens about once a year in my practice—I send the patient immediately to the ER who then consults an ENT doc to do an incision and drainage of the abscess. (I'm not about to stick a scalpel near someone's carotid artery!)