Retropharyngeal abscess is usually seen in infants or young children. It may be caused by an upper respiratory tract infection that results in adenitis in the retropharyngeal nodes, which then suppurate and form an abscess. The abscess is limited to one side of the midline because of the median raphe of the buccopharyngeal fascia.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/doctor/ear-nose-throat/retropharyngeal-abscess