Indicators of a more complicated clinical course for pediatric patients with retropharyngeal abscess.

Abstract Objective Determine clinical signs or symptoms associated with a more complicated clinical course in patients with retropharyngeal abscesses (RPAs). Design Retrospective chart review at a tertiary care level Children's hospital. Main Outcome Measures Age, presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, imaging results, antibiotic therapy, surgical approach, pathogens isolated, and duration of hospitalization were evaluated to determine any factors associated with a more complicated clinical course (CCC). Results Fifteen of one hundred thirty pediatric patients with RPA were identified with a complicated clinical course (CCC). Eight of the fifteen required more than one procedure before the abscess resolved. Patients with multiple abscess sites had a statistically significantly greater chance of requiring multiple procedures to clear the infections ( p p Conclusion Our study suggests that patients with a CCC are more likely to present with airway obstruction or multiple abscess sites than patients with SCC.