title: Splenic odyssey. Traumatic retropharyngeal displacement of thoracoabdominal viscera.
abstract: The retropharyngeal space (RPS) is a fascial compartment of the midline of neck, posterior to the pharynx, anterior to the spine. Pathologic involvement of RPS includes tumors, abscesses, and traumatic hematomas, all of which may dissect inferiorly into the thoracic compartment. We describe two cases in which severe trauma of the torso resulted in dissection of thoracoabdominal contents upward into the RPS--an apparently undocumented phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: 2nd General Hospital, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C., USA.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Mellen
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hause
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000293:injuries*; D010614:Pharynx; D010994:Pleura / Q000293:injuries*; D013154:Spleen / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000473:pathology