Acquired Hemophilia A Simulating Retropharyngeal Abscess: Importance of Differential Diagnosis of Neck Masses before Surgery
Open Access
- 1 January 2015
- journal article
- Published by Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. in International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery
- Vol. 04 (04), 282-285
- https://doi.org/10.4236/ijohns.2015.44048
Abstract
The coexistence of acquired hemophilia A with a secondary retropharyngeal hematoma is an extremely unusual condition with important clinical implications. The purpose of this paper is to present a case involving a patient whose first clinical manifestation, namely dysphagia, along with specific clinical examination and imaging findings, led to an incorrect initial diagnosis of a retropharyngeal abscess. However, performance of a more thorough clinical examination led to the correct diagnosis of a hematoma secondary to acquired hemophilia A. This allowed surgery to be avoided in a patient at a high risk of bleeding. Conclusions: Acute neck masses require meticulous differential diagnosis assessing the possible presence of various causative systemic diseases before the most appropriate therapy can be determined.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Acquired hemophilia: a case report and review of the literatureInternational Journal of Laboratory Hematology, 2014