降下性壊死性縦隔炎を発症した下顎智歯周囲炎の1例

We present a case of pericoronitis of lower wisdom tooth leading to descending necrotizing mediastinitis. A 52-year-old man visited our hospital because of swelling and pain in buccal region on the right side in spite of chemotherapeutics at a practicing physician, whose diabetic nephropathy had been treated with dialysis treatment by the same physician. Orthopantomography elucidated an impacted wisdom tooth of the right side mandible and osteosclerosis around there. CT revealed inflammatory thickening of subcutaneous fat tissue from buccal to cervical region. In the blood examination, the values of WBCs, RBCs, platelets, CRP, AST, LDH, TG, BUN, creatinine, GLU, K and Ca increased abnormally, while those of hemoglobin, MCV，MCH，MCHC, albumin, Cl, decreased extraordinarily. Immediate medication of antibiotics was worked out under a clinical diagnosis of pericoronitis of lower wisdom tooth, periostitis of the mandible and cervical cellulitis. Nevertheless, rapid inflamation progressed downward; mediastinal abscess was found by CT image taken 6 days later from the beginning of the therapy. Immediately, extraction of pathogenic teeth, cervical drainage, and transcervical and transthoracic mediastinal drainage were performed under a diagnosis of descending necrotizing mediastinitis. Moreover, bacterial examination was performed using a pus specimen derived from abscess; α-Streptococcus and Prevotella intermedia were detected. CT taken 2 weeks later from the beginning of the therapy revealed continuing bilateral pleural and pericardial effusion in spite of intensive care. Unfortunately he was died of multi organ failure caused by septic shock a month later from the beginning of the therapy.