‘Good’ symptoms for quinsy include:
- ‘Thick’ or ‘hot potato’ voice (not hoarse, croaky voice)
- Stertor
- Trismus
- Inability to swallow more than saliva or a sip or water
- Pain much worse on one side than the other (+/- otalgia)
To differentiate it from tonsillitis, a quinsy will have many of the following signs:
- There is usually a degree of trismus
- On the affected side, the anterior arch will be pushed medially
- On the affected side, the palate will bulge towards you ie the normally concave palate becomes convex
- The uvula may or may not be pushed away from the affected side
- On the affected side, the mucosa of the arch and palate may look angrily erythematous
A swollen tonsil is NOT a quinsy; a swollen tonsil is a swollen tonsil 
How to drain a peritonsillar abscess in the ED…it’s not rocket science and your patient will love you for the pain relief
