title: An atypical case of retropharyngeal abscess with long blind tract treated with Ryle's tube drainage.
abstract: A 10 year-old Iban girl presented with severe odynophagia for 4 days and subcutaneous emphysema. Clinically, her neck was tender with crepitus. Lateral neck radiograph showed multiple linear radiolucent shadows at retropharyngeal space. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope revealed a tunnel behind upper oesophagus with slough and there was pooling of saliva at pyriform sinus. Feeding via nasogastric tube was started and empirical treatment for fungal and bacterial infection was commenced. Subsequent computed tomography of neck and thorax showed a 15-long blind tract at subglottic region posterior to oesophagus (prevertebral region), extending to superior mediastinum just before carina at T3/T4 level, represent abscess. Hourly suctioning of the remaining abscess in the blind tract with 10ml-syringe was done.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sibu Hospital, Jalan Ulu Oya, Batu 5 1/2, 96000 Sibu, Sarawak. meelingt2001@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M P Y
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Phoon
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D017703:Retropharyngeal Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents