Description
A 47 year-old male presented with acute onse of odynophagia (sore throat) over the preceding 18 hours. He had been exposed to fumes 2 days previously. Past medical history included wrist surgery and gout. He was an ex-smoker. On admission, the man was unwell-looking and drooling saliva. He was afebrile but had a muffled voice. The throat and neck appeared unremarkable. A lateral soft tissue neck x-ray (Figure 1) and a special clinical examination were arranged. White cell count was 14 900, predominantly neutrophils. The patient was commenced on intravenous antibiotics. Once the diagnosis was confirmed, the patient was admitted to the High Dependency Unit for close observation.
