title: Retropharyngeal abscess after blunt trauma in an adolescent.
abstract: Retropharyngeal abscess is an unusual infection in teenagers, and it is rarely associated with blunt trauma. We present the case of 17-year-old male who developed signs and symptoms of retropharyngeal abscess soon after being struck by a car. The case illustrates that retropharyngeal abscess should be considered, even in an adolescent, if the patient has fever, neck stiffness, and sore throat with symptoms out of proportion to the oropharyngeal findings.
authors.affiliation: The Division of Emergency Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Selbst
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friday
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scribano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magardino
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004653:Empyema / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000209:etiology; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D017703:Retropharyngeal Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*