Adult retropharyngeal abscess: A case report and review of the literature

Tannebaum, Ross D.

doi:10.1016/0736-4679(95)02113-2

Cited by 48 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Retropharyngeal abscess in adults has been reported to be due to vertebral osteomyelitis (Barratt et al 1984), caries of the cervical spine (Bosley 1962), or external injuries caused by endoscopes (Delozier et al 1986) or fish bones (Berger et al 1990). As for underlying diseases, many patients were diabetics or had been taking steroids for Behçet's syndrome, rheumatism, systemic lupus erythematosus, and so on (Tannebaum 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retropharyngeal Abscess Complicated with Torticollis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Hasegawa

Tateda

Hidaka

et al. 2007

Tohoku J. Exp. Med.

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Abscess Complicated with Torticollis:Case Report and Review of the Literature. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2007, 213 (1), [99][100][101][102][103][104] Retropharyngeal abscess commonly develops among infants and small children, and is associated with the severe inflammation of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes located in the retropharyngeal space. Retropharyngeal abscess causes cervical pain, swelling, contracture of the neck, and in rare cases inflammatory torticollis, all of which result from an inflammatory process that irritates the cervical muscles, nerves or vertebrae. Here we report a rare case of retropharyngeal abscess with a complication of torticollis. A 4-yearold girl suffered from severe retropharyngeal abscess spreading through the deep cervical fascia, as judged by magnetic resonance imaging of the neck. Blood analysis showed high degree of inflammatory reactions, and so the patient was transferred to our hospital ward. The inflammation caused spasms of the prevertebral muscles, eventually leading to torticollis. The surgical drainage was performed immediately under general anesthesia, and an anti-inflammation therapy with intravenously administered meropenem trihydrate and clindamycin was used together with traction therapy to relieve the symptoms of the patient. We must be careful about the existence of epidural abscess and infectious spondylitis when the retropharyngeal abscess causes torticollis. In conclusion, an anti-inflammation therapy using antibiotics, along with traction therapy, was effective to relieve the symptoms. In addition to repeated clinical examinations, cooperation with orthopedists and careful follow-up are necessary. We also discussed the relationship between acute torticollis and retropharyngeal abscess. retropharyngeal abscess; torticollis; danger space; deep neck fascia; traction therapy

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retropharyngeal Abscess Complicated with Torticollis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Hasegawa

Tateda

Hidaka

et al. 2007

Tohoku J. Exp. Med.

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“…[14][15][16][17] The declining incidence of RPA was reported since 1970s but the proportion of affected adults was found to be on the rise. [3][4][5] Our report on 10 cases of RPA also underscores the prevalence of the disease in adults with them forming 40% of the total RPA patients. Seventy percent of this series were males.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The male redominance have also been reported in other studies. 4,5 Retropharyngeal abscess in adults has traditionally been associated with tuberculosis of cervical spine. 18 Although tuberculosis is common in our country, only two of the 10 adult RPAs (20%) in this series were tubercular in origin.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[8][9][10][11] However, it may rarely develop following dental infections or pyogenic osteomyelitis of cervical spine. 12 A recent study 13 holds upper respiratory tract infections as the most common etiological predisposing factor responsible for retropharyngeal abscess in adults also, presumably due to spread of infection to a persistent retropharyngeal node as in children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there has been a paucity of information on the subject in case of adults. 5 Ten cases of adult RPA were analyzed for this article along with review of the available literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adult Retropharyngeal Abscess: A Retrospective Case Series

Kumar¹

2015

An International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Clinics

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Introduction: Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA), is a deep tissue neck infection. It is a serious and occasionally life-threatening infection due to the anatomic location and the potential for obstruction of the upper airway. The retropharyngeal space is found posterior to the esophageal wall and anterior to the prevertebral fascia. Lymph nodes found in this space drain the nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses and middle ear. Often infections of these areas will lead to infection in the retropharyngeal space. Atrophy of these lymph nodes at or before puberty has been found as an explanation of the predominance of RPAs in young children. In fact, some believe that they atrophy after 4 years of age. Once almost exclusively a disease of children, is observed with increasing frequency in adults. Retropharyngeal abscess poses a diagnostic challenge for the ENT surgeon because of its infrequent occurrence and variable presentation.

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