Maiou Charikleia, Lachanas Vasileios A, Doumas Stergios Nik, Kalogritsas Nikolaos, Mpouronikou Anna, Hajiioannou Jiannis, Petinaki Efthymia, Skoulakis Charalampos E
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41334 Larissa, Greece.
Maxillofacial Unit, University Hospital of Larissa, 41334 Larissa, Greece.
J Clin Med. 2025 Feb 24;14(5):1515. doi: 10.3390/jcm14051515.
Deep neck infections represent a common but heterogeneous medical condition, as clinical manifestations and outcomes vary, depending, among others, on the infection site. The pharyngeal mucosal space (PMS) represents the most superficial neck space, confined between the pharyngeal mucosa and the pharyngeal constrictor muscles. The collection of pus in the PMS (pharyngeal mucosal abscess (PMA)) is considered rare and is rarely reported in the literature. This study focuses on infections of the pharyngeal mucosal space, aiming to provide an elaborate description of the clinical behavior of this category and reporting its differences from other categories of deep neck infections (DNIs). A retrospective study of 743 cases of deep neck infections was conducted in a single tertiary center. Cases of abscesses, confined in the pharyngomucosal space (PMAs), were studied, reporting demographics, clinical features, imaging, bacteriology, and treatment data, and comparisons with other DNIs were made. A total of 106 cases of pharyngomucosal space abscesses (PMAs) were reported, representing 14.3% of deep neck infections (DNIs). Dysphagia, odynophagia, and fever were the most common symptoms. Hospitalization with non-surgical drainage was the treatment of choice, resulting in complete recovery with no complications. In conclusion, the frequency of PMAs in our series suggests that they may not be as rare as they are considered to be. Symptoms and clinical findings can be similar to those of other DNIs, especially parapharyngeal abscesses, but, overall, PMAs seem to have a milder clinical behavior, highlighting the need for diagnosis and reporting as a separate, recognizable category.
深部颈部感染是一种常见但异质性的疾病，因为其临床表现和预后各不相同，尤其取决于感染部位。咽黏膜间隙（PMS）是颈部最表浅的间隙，位于咽黏膜和咽缩肌之间。咽黏膜间隙积脓（咽黏膜脓肿，PMA）被认为较为罕见，在文献中也鲜有报道。本研究聚焦于咽黏膜间隙感染，旨在详尽描述此类感染的临床特征，并报告其与其他类型深部颈部感染（DNI）的差异。在一家三级中心对743例深部颈部感染病例进行了回顾性研究。对局限于咽黏膜间隙（PMA）的脓肿病例进行了研究，报告了人口统计学、临床特征、影像学、细菌学及治疗数据，并与其他DNI进行了比较。共报告了106例咽黏膜间隙脓肿（PMA）病例，占深部颈部感染（DNI）的14.3%。吞咽困难、吞咽痛和发热是最常见的症状。以非手术引流方式住院治疗是首选方案，患者均完全康复且无并发症。总之，我们系列研究中PMA的发生率表明，它们可能并不像人们认为的那样罕见。其症状和临床发现可能与其他DNI相似，尤其是咽旁脓肿，但总体而言，PMA的临床症状似乎较轻，这凸显了将其作为一个单独的、可识别的类别进行诊断和报告的必要性。
