Head and neck infections

Head and neck infections represent a diverse grouping of disease processes with various manifestations despite their similarities due to progressive soft tissue inflammation. Accurate and prompt diagnosis of these inflammatory disorders is as essential as any systemic or major organ disease in that the natural sequelae and potential complications can, at times, become life threatening.¹ A broad potential range of etiologic agents depends, in part, on the location of the infection, age of the patient, immunization status, presence of an underlying illness, and other predisposing factors such as travel history.