Retropharyngeal haematoma as a cause of acute airway obstruction is uncommon and following low velocity neck hypertension is rare. We report the case of a 76-year-old man who, following a fall with neck hyperextension, developed a retropharyngeal haematoma which caused airway obstruction requiring cricothyroidotomy. Initially he complained of no neck pain. We discuss the importance of airway an...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The development of a retropharyngeal hematoma following a blunt trauma is a rare occurrence. However, a space-occupying lesion in this area can be life-threatening and requires rapid assessment and treatment. This is clinically important because of the close proximity of the retropharyngeal space to the upper airway. Any swelling in the the posterior pharyngeal space m...

The majority of retropharyngeal hematomas described in the literature have been associated with anticoagulation therapy, tumors, aneurysm, infection or cervical spine injury. We present a case of a 55-year-old African American female with acute chest pain, sore throat, and dysphagia. Her past medical history was significant for uncontrolled hypertension and cervical spine arthritis. Physical ex...

The retropharyngeal space is a virtual space behind the pharynx, which extends from the scull base to the level of the fourth thoracic vertebra. Many retropharyngeal masses can cause dysphagia or airway obstruction. We report the case of a 69 year-old woman with a much enlarged aneurysm in the extracranial portion of the left internal carotid, causing dysphagia, and a short review of the releva...

We present four patients in whom evidence of edema or a pseudomass in the retropharyngeal space was found on CT scans obtained after thrombosis of the internal jugular vein. The clinical condition of one patient led to surgery, which documented the sterility of the retropharyngeal space despite the CT appearance of an inflammatory process. The CT findings, which are confusing initially, are fou...

BACKGROUND Biopsy of the retropharyngeal node is not routinely accessible. The diagnosis of retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is often based on an imaging study. METHODS We reported a patient with NPC who was incorrectly diagnosed with left retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence by both MRI and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. RESULTS...

Calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis is a rare clinical entity of which we found only 31 published cases. We present a 45-year-old woman who suffered from severe pain and difficulty in swallowing. The course was benign and recovery was spontaneous. The main problem is the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant diseases that occur in the retropharyngeal area and in the intraspinal sp...

Bleeding from retropharyngeal space is relatively rare, and can be life threatening due to its close proximity to the upper airway. We report a case of a 59 year-old Chinese lady who had spontaneous retropharyngeal haematoma following warfarin anticoagulation that resulted in airway obstruction.