측두간극감염과 외측인두간극감염

A case of temporal space infection & a case of lateral pharyngeal space infection

The oral surgeon deals with odontogenic and other head and neck infections. The surgeon must accurately assess the severity of the infection, establish the patient s general condition, and institute immediate therapy, if the patient is seriously ill. Involvement of the deep and superficial temporal spaces can be secondary to infections of the infratemporal and masseteric spaces. Patients complain of trismus, pain, and headaches. Swelling may be minimal, fluctuance is usually not appreciated, and spontaneous external drainage rarely occurs. The patient was a 39-year-old female, with the chief complaint of continuous dull pain on the right temporal region and extreme mouth opening difficulty for 5 days, who was diagnosed as right temporal and masticator space infections. There was n evidence of odontogenic origin. Possible etiologic factor of the infection was assumed to be the upper respiratory tract infection. Lateral pharyngeal space infection develops, if infection or pus drains from the tonsils or a peritonsillar abscess. Also it becomes involved in the spread of odontogenic infection. Patients have trismus, swelling, fever, pharyngeal bulging and dysphasia. The patient was a 31-year-old female, who had a history of surgical extraction on # 48. Thereafter a peritonsillar abscess developed 2 months after the extraction. She was treated through intraoral I & D, but she was hospitalized again due to recurred peritonsillar abscess and newly developed lateral pharyngeal space infection. We treated each of two patients using extraoral and intraoral I & D. The results was satisfactory.