Retropharyngeal abscess: an unusual complication of tracheal intubation

A 42-year-old man presented as an emergency to the ENT department with sore throat and complete dysphagia, having undergone an umbilical hernia repair under general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation 3 weeks previously at another institution. One course of antibiotics from his general practitioner improved the symptoms but, on discontinuation of the antibiotics, symptoms flared up leading to complete dysphagia. Indirect laryngoscopy showed a bulging of the retropharyngeal wall, which was confirmed as a widening of the retropharyngeal space on a lateral soft-tissue X-ray film of the neck. Surgical exploration confirmed a retropharyngeal abscess, which probably occurred as a complication of the original tracheal intubation.