Descending necrotizing mediastinitis secondary to a nontraumatic retropharyngeal abscess is very rare. This form of mediastinitis in the era of potent antibiotics often ends up with lethal outcome. It usually occurs in immunocompromised patients and requires intensive multidisciplinary treatment approach. We report a case of nontraumatic retropharyngeal abscess complicated by descending necroti...

Mediastinal infections are a life-threatening and distinctly rare event, especially when they are caused by a dental abscess or by a foreign body that has not perforated the esophagus. We evaluated how best to treat descending mediastinal infections occurring from an unusual cause. We report 3 female patients with mediastinal infections: two aged 45 and 80 years, each with a dental abscess, and...

Sato R, et al. BMJ Case Rep 2017. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-221050 Description A 56-year-old man presented with a 4-day history of fever and sore throat followed by 1 day of wheezing. On examination, he appeared in acute distress. The blood pressure was 129/76 mm Hg, the pulse was 88 per min, the respiratory rate was 22 per min and the temperature was 38.2°C. Auscultation over the upper airway area ...

A case is reported of a retropharyngeal abscess in a neonate who presented with increasing stridor since birth. Group B streptococcus was cultured from the abscess contents and the maternal birth tract.

Retropharyngeal abscess is a rare but serious infection, in children, it often secondary to upper respiratory tract infections.We report the case of an 18-month-old infant admitted emergencies for acute febrile torticolis. A computed tomographic (CT) scan with contrast agent injection revealed collection retropharyngeal space; management consisted triple antibiotic therapy and transoral drainag...

A 21 year old man with a retropharyngeal abscess complained of right sided chest pain, and chest radiography and thoracocentesis revealed an empyema. A computed tomographic scan of the chest showed a posterior mediastinal abscess communicating with the right pleural cavity. Emergency thoracotomy was performed and the mediastinal abscess and empyema were drained.

Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limiting febrile mucocutaneous vasculitis of infants and young children. Retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy is a rare presentation of Kawasaki disease. We present a case of Kawasaki disease mimicking a retropharyngeal abscess, with upper airway obstruction resulting in delayed diagnosis.

Pharyngeal foreign bodies are quite common. Their diagnosis is usually easy. The risk of complications including retropharyngeal abscess and mediastinitis is rare and it depends mainly on the nature of the foreign body and the period of the therapeutic management. The occurrence of these complications darkens the prognosis of this affection usually benign. We report a 21 years old patient, with...