Dysphagia Due to Traumatic Periesophageal Abscess

Cervical periesophageal abscess is one of the complications of foreign bodies in the cervical esophagus. A case of dysphagia due to traumatic cervical periesophageal abscess is reported. The patient was a 58-year-old female who had complained of dysphagia and a foreign body sensation in the larynx for approximately 2 days after a piece of large fish bone was ingested inadvertently. Roentogenological examination revealed a marked thickening of the periesophageal region caused by submucosal emphysema and abscess. Clinical symptoms and roentogenological reviews confirmed the diagnosis. Therefore, the abscess was widely opened by the lateral cervical incision, but no foreign body was found. The submucosal emphysema was supposedly caused by active mobility of the foreign body and the abscess occurred by secondary infection. The main cause of dysphagia was the mechanical obstruction by emphysema and abscess, disturbing the passage of bolus and the elevation of the larynx.