CASE REPORTS
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Drainage of retro-parapharyngeal abscess: an additional indication for endoscopic sinus surgery.

Deep neck abscesses are life-threatening conditions, in early stages preferably treated by intravenous antibiotic therapy; in advanced stages, surgical drainage is mandatory. We report two cases of retro-parapharyngeal abscess with prevalent retronasopharyngeal extension in two men aged 60 and 82, both of whom underwent transnasal endoscopic drainage. The main surgical steps were incision of the posterior pharyngeal mucosal wall, widening of the incision, drainage of purulent collection and careful dissection and removal of the necrotic tissue. The first patient, with an abscess associated with chronic otitis media and presenting hypoglossal nerve palsy, quickly recovered from pharyngodinia, otalgia and trismus. Twenty-six months after surgery, he is symptom-free, with hemitongue atrophy due to denervation as the only residual sign. The second patient, affected by skull base osteomyelitis secondary to malignant external otitis, after a first successful drainage, underwent a second endoscopic procedure for the reoccurrence of an abscess in the contralateral retroparapharyngeal space. Twelve months after the first surgery, the patient reported an improvement of symptoms, except for persistent dysphonia related to vagal nerve palsy. At follow-up MR, another abscess was detected in the left retro-parapharyngeal space. In selected cases of abscess, transnasal endoscopic drainage may be an effective alternative to external approaches. Minimal morbidity, the absence of cervical or palatal scars and a short hospitalization time can be considered as important advantages in comparison to external approaches. Patients with abscess secondary to skull base osteomyelitis require close imaging surveillance because of the difficulty of definitive control of the disease.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app