Ludwig angina

Case contributed by Mohamed Saber
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Severe pain and tenderness of the neck with associated swelling and fever. History of dental caries.

Patient Data

Age: 20 years
Gender: Female
ct

CT study shows multiple deep and superficial neck spaces infections namely involving submental, submandibular, mouth floor, visceral spaces, and right para-pharyngeal space in the form of edema and multiple air streaks with associated mass effect on the right side of the airway. Associated swollen epiglottis, subcutaneous fat stranding, and enlarged lymph nodes.

Annotated image

The green arrow points to the infection of the mouth floor, the yellow arrow points to the swollen epiglottis (epiglottitis), and the red arrow points to the mass effect on the airway.

Case Discussion

This is a case of Ludwig angina shows mouth floor and multiple neck spaces infections with airway compromise. Protection of the airway is the first line of treatment in these cases followed by aggressive IV antibiotics.

Case contribution by Dr. Mohamed Elthokaby

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