Space XXXX of the head and neck.

@entity1 @entity295 @entity326 @entity1764 @entity3274 @entity281 @entity715 @entity1224
@entity281 may be lethal, especially when life-threatening complications occur. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 184 @entity1 with @entity281 who were treated at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital during the past 6 years. Factors such as age, sex, hospitalization days, clinical presentations, involved spaces, imaging studies, microbiology, and treatment method were analyzed. There were 122 @entity1 and 62 @entity1 with a mean age of 41.7 years. The average hospitalization was 8.4 days. The involved spaces, determined by physical examination and radiologic findings, were the peritonsillar space (59 @entity1 ), parapharyngeal space (77 @entity1 ), submandibular space (55 @entity1 ), and retropharyngeal space (20 @entity1 ). Of the 49 @entity1 for whom the origin of @entity281 was identified, 29 were infected via the upper respiratory tract and 13 had @entity281 of odontogenic origin. The most common isolated organism was @entity3274 . One hundred and thirty-seven @entity1 (74.5%) underwent surgery, including repeated needle aspiration (87 @entity1 ) and surgical drainage (50 @entity1 ). The remaining 47 @entity1 recovered uneventfully with antibiotic therapy alone. Eighteen @entity1 developed life-threatening complications, such as descending @entity1764 , @entity295 , @entity1224 , and @entity715 . Two @entity1 died of @entity326 . The combination of accurate diagnosis, effective antibiotic therapy, airway maintenance, and intensive surgical debridement for those who fail to respond to conservative treatment will lead to a good prognosis.
