Original article DOI: 10.3345/kjp.2010.53.8.801 Korean J Pediatr 2010;53(8):801-804 Needle aspiration as therapeutic management for suppurative cervical lymphadenitis in children Mee Young Baek, M.D., Kyung Hee Park, M.D., Ju Hee We, M.D., and Su Eun Park, M.D. Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea Received: 3 February 2010, Revised: 17 May 2010 Accepted: 15 June 2010 Corresponding author: Su Eun Park, M.D. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Children’s Hospital, Beomeo-ri, Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-770, Korea Tel: +82.55-360-2180, Fax: +82.55-360-2181 E-mail: psepse@naver.com Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the needle aspiration alternative to open surgical drainage of children with suppurative cervical lymphadenitis requiring surgical drainage. Methods: From January 1998 to June 2008, we retrospectively reviewed 38 children treated with needle aspiration as management with suppurative cervical lymphadenitis instead of open surgical drainage. Results: All 38 children underwent only 1 puncture. Two patients (5.2%) out of 38 patients experienced reformation of an abscess and all recovered completely after re-treatment with antibiotics. Minor complications were detected in 2 patients (5.2%). One complication originated from remnant necrotic tissue and the other involved formation of a small scar in two patients, which resolved spontaneously. There were no major complications. Conclusion: Needle aspiration can be a simple, safe, and effective alternative procedure to open surgical drainage of children with suppurative cervical lymphadenitis requiring surgical drainage. Copyright © 2010 by The Korean Pediatric Society This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Key words: Suppuration, Lymphadenitis, Needles, Child, Therapeutics Introduction Cervical lymphadenitis refers to inflammation of one or more lymph nodes of the neck. This condition is a common problem in the pediatric age group and largely infectious in etiology. The most commonly involved lymph nodes are the submandibular, upper cervical, submental, occipital, and lower cervical nodes1). Large (>2- 3 cm), solitary, tender, unilateral cervical lymph nodes that rapidly enlarge in the preschool age child are commonly due to bacterial infection2).Staphylococcus aureus and group A streptococcus are the most common bacterial pathogens3). If there is a failure to respond to antibiotics medication, open surgical drainage is recommended for treatment of cervical 801 lymphadenitis4-6). But this invasive procedure usually requires general anesthesia and may result in a disfiguring scar7). Therefore, needle aspiration for suppurative cervical lymphadenitis in children not only can be an alternative method to an open surgical drainage procedure, but also an effective and safe treatment of suppurative cervical lymphadenitis in other studies7, 8). There is no data and a study about needle aspiration for the pediatric suppurative cervical lymphadenitis in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of the needle aspiration alternative to open surgical drainage of patient with suppurative cervical lymphadenitis that required surgical drainage.