Descending necrotizing mediastinitis caused by odontogenic infections

Intrathoracic dissemination of an odontogenic infection is very infrequent. The resulting clinical manifestation, known as descending necrotizing mediastinitis, causes high mortality. Due to the absence of early clinical or radiological signs, diagnosis is usually made only when the process is completely established. Treatment is a combination of intravenous antibiotics and mediastinal drainage, via either a cervical or a transthoracic approach. We report the clinical and microbiological characteristics of 4 patients with descending necrotizing mediastinitis, and their clinical course over a period of 10 years.