Retropharyngeal abscess

Case contributed by Jeremy Jones
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Noisy breathing. Left neck mass increasing in size over days. Fever.

Patient Data

Age: 30 months old
Gender: Female
mri

There is a large left side neck mass with features of an retropharyngeal abscess with lateral extension intro the left parapharyngeal space and behind the carotid space displacing the carotid vessels anterolaterally.

There central T2 hyperintensity (heterogeneous and not as bright as CSF), central low T1, an enhancing peripheral margin and diffusion restriction.

The trachea and esophagus are displaced by the mass.

Case Discussion

Large retropharyngeal abscess with extension into the left parapharyngeal space behind the carotid space with displacement of the carotid vessels without compression.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.