title: A 15-Month-Old Boy With Respiratory Distress and Parapharyngeal Abscess: A Case Report.
abstract: Parapharyngeal abscess is a life-threatening disease. Upper respiratory tract infection is the main cause in children. We present a 15-month-old boy admitted to the emergency ward with the chief complaint of difficulty in breathing caused by parapharyngealabscess. His condition deteriorated gradually, and he transferred to the operation theater quickly for abscess drainage and because of the difficulty in orotracheal intubation; a tracheostomy was performed. His respiratory condition deteriorated 2 days after PICU admission, and the medical team noticed an unexplainable respiratory distress. A chest x ray obtained and showed a right side pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema around theneck area. The case presented here, had not been diagnosed at the first examination; however, there were enough clinical clues (such as respiratory distress, drooling, torticollis, bulging of theneck, previous viral respiratory infection, possible pharyngeal trauma). The story of this case reminds us the importance of the precise physical exam and history taking which could be life-saving.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Behdad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gharib
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohammadpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Meisam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharifzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirashrafi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yaghmaie
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrzad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehdizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eshaghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorji
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Memarian
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications*; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D017703:Retropharyngeal Abscess / Q000209:etiology*; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000150:complications*
keywords: Mediastinitis; Parapharyngeal abscess; Respiratory distress; Retropharyngeal abscess