Tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess revisited.

Retropharyngeal tubercular abscess is an uncommon cause of neck pain and dysphagia in the developed world. In this report, we describe an insidiously presenting retropharyngeal abscess treated successfully with intraoral aspiration and antitubercular chemotherapy. A 33-year-old female patient presented with neck pain and dysphagia. MRI revealed a large retropharyngeal abscess that was aspirated intraorally under local anaesthetic. Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) was confirmed by positive culture. The patient improved significantly following the initiation of antitubercular therapy. Retropharyngeal abscess is a recognised presentation of TB. The treatment is mainly medical with combination of specific antitubercular antibiotics, and aspiration may be sufficient for abscess drainage.