Acute tonsillitis is a common condition and usually runs a benign course. However life-threatening complications do still occur, even in this postantibiotic era. Infection can spread downwards into the mediastinum through the anatomic cervical spaces, causing widespread cellulitis, necrosis, abscess formation and sepsis. We present a case of descending mediastinitis in an 18-year-old woman, arising from her first episode of tonsillitis and treated successfully by surgical drainage. We believe that an awareness of this complication, early diagnosis using computed tomography scanning, and prompt, adequate surgical drainage will reduce morbidity and mortality.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.