Akademik

Quinsy
Not a TV detective but an old word for a peritonsillar abscess. Whether you call it quinsy or a peritonsillar abscess, it is a collection of pus (an abscess) behind the tonsils that pushes one of the tonsils toward the uvula (the prominent soft tissue dangling from the back of the palate in the back of the mouth). A peritonsillar abscess is generally very painful. It is usually also associated with a decreased ability to open the mouth. Treatment is imperative. If left untreated, the infection can spread deep in the neck causing airway obstruction and life-threatening complications.
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Obsolete term for peritonsillar abscess. [M.E. quinsie (quinesie), a corruption of L. cynanche, sore throat]
- lingual q. phlegmonous inflammation of the lingual tonsil and neighboring structures.

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quin·sy 'kwin-zē n, pl quin·sies an abscess in the connective tissue around a tonsil usu. resulting from bacterial infection and often accompanied by fever, pain, and swelling called also peritonsillar abscess

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n.
pus in the space between the tonsil and the wall of the pharynx. The patient has severe pain with difficulty opening the mouth (trismus) and swallowing. Treatment is with antibiotics. Surgical incision of the abscess may be necessary to release the collection of pus. Medical name: peritonsillar abscess.

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quin·sy (kwinґze) [Gr. kynanche sore throat] peritonsillar abscess.

Medical dictionary. 2011.