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Retropharyngeal abscess

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Symptoms:

• Recent sore throat or infected nose or teeth
• High fever
• Severe throat pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Drooling
• Breathing difficulty
• Intercostal retractions (the muscles between the ribs pull in when breathing)
• Stridor (a high-pitched sound when inhaling)

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform a physical examine and look inside the throat. The doctor or nurse may gently rub the back of the throat with a cotton swab, so that a sample of tissue can be more closely examined. This is called a throat culture .

A complete blood count may be done to check for signs of infection. An x-ray or CT scan of the neck may show pus in the space between throat and neck.

References:

Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St Louis, Mo; Mosby; 2005:4365-4367.

Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2006:1120-1121.

• Review Date: 2/12/2007
• Reviewed By: Alden J. Pearl, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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