| ludwig's angina is a potentially life-threatening, rapidly expanding, diffuse inflammation of the submandibular and sublingual spaces that occurs most often in young adults with dental infections. However, this disorder can develop in children, in whom it can cause serious airway compromise. Symptoms include severe neck pain and swelling, fever, malaise and dysphagia. Stridor suggests an impending airway crisis. Causative bacteria include many gram-negative and anaerobic organisms, streptococci and staphylococci. Initial treatment consists of high doses of penicillin g given intravenously, sometimes in combination with other drugs. patients usually recover without complications. ( info) |
| A severe case of ludwig's angina which was treated along the historical lines of surgical decompression is presented. The problem resulting from this approach are discussed together with alternative methods of management. The conclusion is made that surgical decompression as a means of avoiding respiratory obstruction should be abandoned and that tracheotomy should be used. ( info) |
| In this paper we present a case of a 6-year-old child who presented with ludwig's angina caused by an infected tongue base lymphangioma. We provide a literature review of tongue lymphangioma and ludwig's angina in the paediatric population. Both ludwig's angina and tongue base lymphangioma are rare conditions in their own right and a combination of the two has not previously been described in the literature. ( info) |
| A 37-year-old 91 kg man presented with features of ludwig's angina. Anaesthesia for incision and drainage of his submandibular abscess was undertaken by two specialist anaesthetists with an otorhinolaryngological surgeon prepared for immediate tracheostomy. After preoxygenation, gas induction with sevoflurane in oxygen was followed by a gush of pus into the oral cavity and laryngospam causing acute upper airway obstruction. This resolved with 25 mg of suxamethonium and an endotracheal tube was passed into the trachea with difficulty. Options for management of the difficult airway in ludwig's angina are discussed. ( info) |
| This case presentation concerns a 21-year-old Negro man in whom ludwig's angina developed after a dental infection. The many serious complications encountered with such an infection are described in some detail. The involvement of anaerobic bacteroides in infections of the head and neck is also noted and the approach to treatment is described. ( info) |
| ludwig's angina is a rapidly progressing cellulitis involving the submandibular neck space. It is characterized by brawny induration of the submental region and floor of mouth, bearing the potential for rapid airway obstruction. airway management, antibiotics, and judicious surgical intervention are the mainstays of successful therapy. We present a case of ludwig's angina in a 5-year-old child and offer a meta-analysis of pediatric cases of ludwig's angina described in the literature over the past 30 years. The presentation, etiology, management, and potential complications of this disorder in the pediatric population are discussed. ( info) |
| We diagnosed and treated a case of ludwig's angina in a 45-year-old man who had edema of the floor of mouth and the tongue along with bilateral submandibular sialadenitis and sialolithiasis. We secured the patient's airway via nasal fiberoptic intubation in the surgical intensive care unit and administered intravenous antibiotics. The edema subsided, and the patient was extubated on the third postoperative day and discharged shortly thereafter. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with bilateral submandibular sialadenitis and sialolithiasis presenting as ludwig's angina. Despite the decreasing incidence of this disease, ludwig's angina remains an important disease process because a failure to control the airway can have disastrous consequences. Proper diagnosis, airway control, antibiotic therapy, and occasionally surgical management are essential to ensure the safety of the patient. ( info) |
8/51. ludwig's angina: report of a case and review of management issues. ludwig's angina, although uncommon, remains a potentially life-threatening condition because of the risk of impending airway obstruction. Effective treatment is based on early recognition of the clinical process, with the appropriate use of parenteral antibiotics, airway protection techniques, and formal surgical drainage of the infection. We present a case of ludwig's angina together with a brief review of the relevant literature. ( info) |
| Deep neck infections are a rare but potentially fatal complication of pulpal abscess of the teeth. If an infection can progress rapidly from a toothache to a life-threatening infection, then it is critical that dentists be able to recognize the danger signs and identify the patients who are at risk. This article reviews a case of a seemingly innocuous toothache which rapidly progressed to ludwig's angina and mediastinitis, and discusses how to recognize and manage these life-threatening infections. ( info) |
10/51. ludwig's angina: a place for steroid therapy in its management? ludwig's angina is an uncommon but potentially fatal condition which presents as a hard swelling of the floor of the mouth. It spreads rapidly as a gangrenous process that may cause death through local airway obstruction. ludwig's angina carried a 54% mortality rate in the preantibiotic era which has now been reduced to approximately 4%. diagnosis is based on history and clinical observation. Currently described treatment involves protecting the airway and managing the infection with antibiotics and surgical drainage when indicated. ( info) |