Retropharyngeal space - a review of anatomy, pathology, and clinical presentation

Antibiotic therapy has markedly reduced the incidence of suppuration of the deep fascial spaces of the neck. Affectations of the retropharyngeal space are not commonly encountered. This paper reviews the anatomy of the retropharyngeal space and the pathological processes that involve it. three cases are presented. One patient developed a retorpharyngeal abscess from traumatic perforation of the pharynx secondary to oroendotracheal intubation, another from neoplastic perforation secondary to carcinoma of the hypopharynx. The third patient developed a large retropharyngeal hematoma due to a fracture of the cervical spine, necessitating a tracheostomy.