all of which underwent incision and drainage. The 5-cm cutoff
was based on data from a single-center observational
study involving children, in which abscesses
larger than 5 cm were associated with treatment
failure.17 Although incision and drainage alone
may be sufficient for treatment in many cases,
there are likely to be subgroups in which antibiotic
therapy is needed. Outcomes in antibiotictreated
patients with abscesses in our relatively
low-risk population could reflect either similar
true efficacies or the adequacy of incision and
drainage alone. Large placebo-controlled trials are needed to further understand the role of active pharmacologic therapy in the treatment of patients with abscesses.