1/2. retropharyngeal abscess: an unusual complication of tracheal intubation.A 42-year-old man presented as an emergency to the ENT department with sore throat and complete dysphagia, having undergone an umbilical hernia repair under general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation 3 weeks previously at another institution. One course of antibiotics from his general practitioner improved the symptoms but, on discontinuation of the antibiotics, symptoms flared up leading to complete dysphagia. Indirect laryngoscopy showed a bulging of the retropharyngeal wall, which was confirmed as a widening of the retropharyngeal space on a lateral soft-tissue x-ray film of the neck. Surgical exploration confirmed a retropharyngeal abscess, which probably occurred as a complication of the original tracheal intubation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = anaesthesia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/2. Paediatric retropharyngeal abscess.retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) is an uncommon condition with the potential for significant morbidity and mortality if not detected early. The authors present a case report of a 19-month-old child who presented with the common clinical features of a retropharyngeal abscess and in whom the diagnosis was not established by examination and ultrasonography. This led to a delay in appropriate management until a computed tomography (CT) scan was performed under general anaesthesia. The scan demonstrated the diagnosis and surgical drainage was performed under the same anaesthetic. The child subsequently made a complete recovery. The investigation and treatment of RPAs is a matter of some debate and the authors review the recent literature to determine the best management strategy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = anaesthesia (Clic here for more details about this article) |