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Supraglottitis complicated by mediastinitis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

U. F. Coales
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey, U.K.
N. Solomons
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey, U.K.

Abstract

A rare case of supraglottitis complicated by mediastinitis is presented. Despite aggressive treatment with broadspectrum intravenous antibiotics, the patient persisted to have generalized supraglottitis. Subsequent computed tomography (CT) scanning revealed that she had developed a frank fluid collection starting at the suprasternal notch, extending retrosternally into the superior mediastinum. She recovered with conservative management and did not require aggressive mediastinal drainage as advocated by the literature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2001

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