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The danger space or alar space, is a region of the neck. [1] The common name originates from the risk that an infection in this space can spread directly to the thorax , and, due to being a space continuous on the left and right, can furthermore allow infection to spread easily to either side.
Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) is an abscess located in the tissues in the back of the throat behind the posterior pharyngeal wall (the retropharyngeal space).Because RPAs typically occur in deep tissue, they are difficult to diagnose by physical examination alone.
Superiorly, the retropharyngeal space terminates at the base of the skull (more specifically, at the clivus [2]). [1] [5] Inferiorly, the true RPS terminates at a variable level along the upper thoracic spine with the fusion of alar fascia and visceral fascia; [1] sources either give the inferior termination of the true RPS as occurring at approximately the vertebral level of T4 [2] or at a ...
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The retrovisceral space is divided into the retropharyngeal space and the danger space by the alar fascia. It is of particular clinical importance because it is a main route by which oropharyngeal infections can spread into the mediastinum. Some sources say the retrovisceral space is the same as the retropharyngeal space. [1]
Fascial spaces (also termed fascial tissue spaces [1] or tissue spaces [2]) are potential spaces that exist between the fasciae and underlying organs and other tissues. [3] In health, these spaces do not exist; they are only created by pathology, e.g. the spread of pus or cellulitis in an infection.
The authors revealed that the alar fascia originated as a well defined midline structure at the level of C1 and does not reach the base of the skull. It is suggested that the area between C1 and the base of the skull is a potential entry into the danger space. [4]
The causes of upper airway obstructions can be acute or chronic. Acute causes of upper airway obstruction include foreign body aspiration, blunt trauma to the neck, infection, and swelling due to allergies or other inflammatory conditions. [3]