Role of anaerobic bacteria in perimandibular space infections.

This review includes 44 patients with perimandibular space infections admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital during a 5-year period. The most frequent spaces involved were the submandibular, peritonsillar, and parapharyngeal spaces. As expected, 1) peritonsillar abscesses were invariably associated with pharyngitis, 2) submandibular and buccal space infections generally represented complications of dental infections, and 3) parapharyngeal space infections were associated with both portals of entry. Most patients were treated with drainage procedures, and all received antimicrobial agents, the most common being penicillin. Serious complications included potential airway obstruction requiring tracheostomy in six patients with Fusobacterium bacteremia and two patients with septic emboli to the lung. All patients survived, and most had a relatively brief hospitalization with no sequelae.