Cellulite d’origine dentaire engageant le pronostic vital : à propos d’un cas

Abstract

The mediastinal extension of diffuse cellulitis of dental origin is a rare but extremely serious complication. The case of a 25 years old male patient who developed a cervico-facial cellulitis starting from a mandibular third molar is reported. He presented a septic shock, with respiratory distress. The CTscan showed a cervico-scapulo-mediastinal emphysema. The patient paradoxically remained apyretic and his leukocyte rate remained normal at an advanced stage of the infection. These findings evoke an infection-prone background. The patient underwent a heavy management including numerous medical and surgical techniques, to make up for the multivisceral failure on one hand, and on the other hand to treat the infection through antibiotic therapy and drainage (cervicotomy, thoracotomy). © Med Buccale Chir Buccale 2009.