The Key to Early Diagnosis: Retropharyngeal Abscess Masked by Neck Extension Limitation in a Pediatric Patient.
Ayfer Şahin, Meryem Coşkun
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
An 8-year-old boy presented to the pediatric emergency department with sore throat, dysphagia, and nasal congestion. Restricted neck extension raised concern for a deep neck infection and prompted otolaryngologic evaluation. Computed tomography showed characteristic findings of a retropharyngeal abscess, supported by laboratory results. He was admitted and treated with parenteral antibiotics, then discharged.
What made this case unusual
Restricted neck extension was the key clinical clue to a retropharyngeal abscess in a child whose other symptoms were subtle and resembled an upper respiratory illness.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In children with upper respiratory symptoms, assess neck movement carefully; restricted extension can prompt timely evaluation and imaging for a deep neck infection.