Descending mediastinitis secondary to deep neck abscess in a healthy patient: Case report

Necrotizing descending mediastinitis is an emergency which can be fatal in most cases. 80% to 85% of patients who develop descending necrotizing mediastinitis are young, previously healthy persons. We present the case of a healthy patient who, after a neck abscess, developed descending necrotizing mediastinitis complicated by atypical interstitial pneumonia.