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Indian Journal of Emergency Medicine 12(1):p 35-58, Jan. March 2026. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijem.2395.311X.12126.6
Case Report
Disseminated Deep Neck Space Infection in an Immunocompetent Adult: A Case Report
Shashi Vadhan, Saurabh Varma, Harshit Mundra, Mabel Vasnaik
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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Indian Journal of Emergency Medicine 12(1):p 35-58, Jan. March 2026. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijem.2395.311X.12126.6
How Cite This Article:
Varma S, Vadhan S, Mundra H, et al. Disseminated Deep Neck Space Infection in an Immunocompetent Adult: A Case Report. Indian J Emerg Med. 2026;12(1):35-38.Timeline
Received : October 14, 2025
Accepted : December 22, 2025
Published : March 30, 2026
Abstract
We report a case of a 70-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with throat pain for 1 week, which had worsened in the last 3 days. Initial impression on history and clinical examination was that of a peritonsillar abscess, but on further investigation, he was found to have a disseminated deep neck space infection involving the epiglottis as well as the trachea. This case report enlightens the need for a high index of suspicion in emergency physicians for supraglottic as well as infraglottic involvement in a patient with eritonsillar abscess, which could lead to an impending airway emergency with a difficult anatomical airway.
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- 3. Burton L.V., Lofgren D.H., Silberman M. Bacterial Tracheitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 [cited 2025 Jul 16]. Available from: http:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470240/.
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Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
Whether all authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest in this work.
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Cite this article
Varma S, Vadhan S, Mundra H, et al. Disseminated Deep Neck Space Infection in an Immunocompetent Adult: A Case Report. Indian J Emerg Med. 2026;12(1):35-38.
Licence:
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| Received | Accepted | Published |
|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2025 | December 22, 2025 | March 30, 2026 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijem.2395.311X.12126.6
Keywords
Deep neck space infectionImmunocompetent adultDisseminated infectionNeck abscessOdontogenic infectionCervical infection spreadSearch for Similar Articles
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Timeline
| Received | October 14, 2025 |
| Accepted | December 22, 2025 |
| Published | March 30, 2026 |
licence
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
