Retropharyngeal abscess on a Ga-67 scan - A case report

A retropharyngeal abscess is a potentially fatal deep neck infection. Class ical symptoms include fever, neck swelling, sore throat, dysphagia, and cer vical rigidity. Sometimes small children present with nonspecific symptoms. We report a rare case whereby the Ga-67 citrate scan was the first investi gation to reveal an inflammatory process in the retropharyngeal or submasto id region of a 3-year-old child with sepsis. This directed the line of inve stigation to a more precise anatomic imaging modality, CT scanning, to loca lize the abscess. With prompt administration of intravenous antibiotics, th e child recovered quickly and did not require surgery. The Ga-67 scan is th us a useful screening test to detect inflammatory foci because of its high sensitivity. It is also valuable in the follow-up of the patient's response to therapy.