Abstract
The authors report six cases of retropharyngeal abscess treated during the past nine years.
The study revealed the following:
1. There were more adult cases of nontuberculous retropharyngeal abscess that followed upper respiratory infections than those of tuberculous origin.
2. Bacteriological study showed that streptococcus viridans and Neisseria were more frequently occurred.
3. The majority of the patients complained of dysphagia or sore throat. It was noteworthy that no adult with retropharyngeal abscess developed a high fever.
4. In some cases, incision and drainage could be made under local anesthesia without problems. The authors concluded that the principle of treatment are of incision and drainage even in the days of different kinds of new antibiotics.
