The Tuberculous Abscess of the Retropharyngeal Space

Retropharyngeal abscesses deserve special consideration because of their relative rarity and because of the anatomic relations of an abscess in the retropharyngeal space. Retropharyngeal abscesses will form lateral to the midline secondary to the midline adherence of the alar fascia to the prevertebral fascia. If the abscess compresses the larynx and upper trachea, symptoms of upper airway obstruction develop. Retropharyngeal abscesses may break through the alar fascia and invole the prevertebral space with easy egress to the mediastinum. In the tuberculos abscess, local inflammatory changes (tenderness and erythema) usually are not present unless a coexisting (bacterial) infection is present. The tuberculous abscess in the retopharyngeal space is very rare. Authors experienced two cases of the tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess which diagnosed by the histopathology and microbiology. Authors report the two cases with review of the literatures and the radiologic photography.