Some cases of deep neck abscesses are severe with prolonged inflammation. From December 1994 to December 2006, thirty-four patients with deep neck abscesses were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University. The CRP-positive period was used as an indicator of the duration of inflammation in our study. The relationships between the duration of inflammation and the clinical factors were examined.
There was a mutual relationship (coefficient of correlation: 0.86) between the CRP-positive period and the duration of hospital stay. There was little relationship between the CRP-positive period and the factors of sex, past history, and detected bacteria; however, there was a significant relationship between the CRP-positive period and the factors of age, cause of infection, antibiotics, tracheotomy, and inflammation expanding to the mediastinum. Elderly cases were prone to be prolonged and cases treated with two antibiotics had a tendency to be prolonged. In cases of tonsillar infections, tracheotomy, and inflammation expanding to the mediastinum, the duration of inflammation was prolonged.
From our results, we should select suitable treatments for patients with clinical factors resulting in prolonged inflammation.