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A Rare Case of Retropharyngeal Abscess in a 3 Month Old Male Infant: Case Report and Review of Literature

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Abstract

Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) is a rare, potentially fatal condition found more frequently in young children usually who were having a history of Upper respiratory infection. RPA is an acute suppurative infection of the retropharyngeal space. In view of scarce literature availability and atypical presentation in infants, it poses a definitive diagnostic dilemma to the clinicians. Here, we are reporting a three-month-old male infant presented with feeding difficulty, obstructive sleep apnea and intermittent inspiratory stridor. Child was managed in a pediatric ICU with a multidisciplinary approach which involved pediatrician, otorhinolaryngologist pediatric anesthesiologist, microbiologist, and radiologist. With the recent advances, early radio imaging have a vital role in diagnosing the condition and also helps in planning of surgery. Prompt diagnosis and surgical management with appropriate antimicrobial therapy for this condition is imperative to prevent complications such as airway obstruction and mediastinitis. Timely surgical intervention, preferably intraoral transpharyngeal approach, to drain the abscess is recommended.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from Command Hospital Central Command Lucknow, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of Command Hospital Central Command Lucknow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Command Hospital Central Command, Cariappa Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226002, India

    Lohith Rajanna, Sheetal Raina, Himanshu Chhagan Bayad, Shailendra Tripathi, Omvir Singh Chahar & Ombir Singh

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  1. Lohith Rajanna
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  2. Sheetal Raina
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  3. Himanshu Chhagan Bayad
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  4. Shailendra Tripathi
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  5. Omvir Singh Chahar
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  6. Ombir Singh
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Contributions

LBR; Design, Conduct, Analysis, Presentation of research; SR; Design, Conduct, Presentation of research; HCB; Design, Conduct, Analysis, Presentation of research; ST; Design, Conduct, Presentation of research; OSC; Conduct, Analysis, OS; Conduct, Analysis

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Correspondence to Lohith Rajanna.

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Ethical Clearance was taken from Institutional Ethics committee. The authors assert that all the procedures contributing to the present work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional guidelines on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

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Rajanna, L., Raina, S., Bayad, H.C. et al. A Rare Case of Retropharyngeal Abscess in a 3 Month Old Male Infant: Case Report and Review of Literature. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 75, 4066–4070 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-023-04043-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-023-04043-2

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