Retropharyngeal Space

The retropharyngeal lymph node rpn is within the space.

Retropharyngeal space. Because serious infections of teeth can spread down this space into the posterior mediastinum it is often confused with the danger space. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment are critical in preventing sequelae such as airway obstruction epidural abscess and cervical cord injury mediastinitis carotid artery aneurysm and cavernous sinus thrombosis. This anatomy explains the origin of both nodal and neurogenic processes that might extend into the rs. The retropharyngeal space is a fascial space that transverses the length of the neck in its entirety.

It sits posterior to the buccopharyngeal layer of middle cervical fascia which covers the esophagus and the pharynx and is anterior to the alar fascia. The retropharyngeal space is a potential space which is directly related to the danger space the pharyngeal mucosal space the carotid space and the parapharyngeal space. It contains the retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Together with the lateral pharyngeal space these spaces are termed the parapharyngeal spaces.

It is indistinguishable from the layers that invest it and the danger space. The retropharyngeal space is a potential space of the head and neck bounded by the buccopharyngeal fascia anteriorly and the alar fascia posteriorly. The space extends from the base of the skull down to vertebra c7 or t1. Because rpas typically occur in deep tissue they are difficult to diagnose by physical examination alone.

Retropharyngeal abscess rpa is an abscess located in the tissues in the back of the throat behind the posterior pharyngeal wall the retropharyngeal space. Note that both the lymph node and the sympathetic ganglion and plexus sym relate to the lateral extremity of the rs. In children it usually starts in the lymph nodes in the throat. Infections of the retropharyngeal space rs and prevertebral space can result in significant morbidity and mortality.

The danger space is actually between the alar fascia and the prevertebral fascia and extends from the cranial base above to the level of the diaphragm. The retropharyngeal space appears as a small roughly rectangular space on axial imaging wider in the mediolateral dimension and thinner in the anteroposterior dimension. A retropharyngeal abscess is a serious infection deep in the neck generally located in the area behind the throat. The retropharyngeal space is a potential space of the head and neck bounded by the buccopharyngeal fascia anteriorly and the alar fascia posteriorly.