title: Retropharyngeal abscess on a Ga-67 scan: a case report.
abstract: A retropharyngeal abscess is a potentially fatal deep neck infection. Classical symptoms include fever, neck swelling, sore throat, dysphagia, and cervical rigidity. Sometimes small children present with nonspecific symptoms. We report a rare case whereby the Ga-67 citrate scan was the first investigation to reveal an inflammatory process in the retropharyngeal or submastoid region of a 3-year-old child with sepsis. This directed the line of investigation to a more precise anatomic imaging modality, CT scanning, to localize the abscess. With prompt administration of intravenous antibiotics, the child recovered quickly and did not require surgery. The Ga-67 scan is thus a useful screening test to detect inflammatory foci because of its high sensitivity. It is also valuable in the follow-up of the patient's response to therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Wollongong Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Carolan
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017703:Retropharyngeal Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals