title: Presentation and management of deep neck space abscess.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the presentation, etiology, microbiology and morbidity of deep neck space infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study Methods: 29 patients admitted in Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Mangulore, India between January 1997 and December 2002 with deep neck space infections.,were included in the study.
  The most common space involved was the parapharyngeul space. No specific etiology was determined in .38%; an odontogenic cause was discovered in 28% of the patients; tonsillar/pharyngeal infections in 24% of patients and foreign body impaction in 7% of cases. The main morbidity was due to mediastinitis (5 patients). I patient succumbed to the disease. Mixed flora with aerobic and anaerobic infections was identified in most of the cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Attavar, 575001 Mangalore, Karnataka India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panduranga Kamath
authors.forename: Ashok B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: Mahesh Chandra
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.forename: Suja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sreedharan
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bhojwani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Manoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajeev Kumar
keywords: Deep neck space infections; Mediastinitis; Parapharyngeal space; Retropharyngeal space