Fascial spaces of infection Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is fascia?
🧵 Sheets of fibrous connective tissue beneath the skin that enclose other structures.
What is a fascial plane?
📏 Sheet-like layers created by fascia that allow infections to spread rapidly along their lengths.
What is a fascial space?
A volume of tissues or structures enclosed within a fascial layer.
What is meant by ‘communication’ in fascial spaces?
🔗 Connections between fascial spaces that allow infections to spread from one to another.
What muscle keeps the food bolus on the molars and is covered by buccopharyngeal fascia?
🍔 The buccinator muscle.
What does the buccinator muscle connect to posteriorly?
🔗 The pterygomandibular raphe and superior constrictor.
Where is the vestibular space located?
🧑⚕️ Lies within the buccinator and the orbit of the cheek.
Where can infections from the vestibular space spread?
👁️ The orbit and the maxillary sinus.
What fascia lies superficial to the buccinator?
📄 Buccopharyngeal fascia.
What are the contents of the buccal space?
🧈 Buccal fat pad, 🥤 parotid duct, 🩸 anterior facial artery, transverse facial artery & vein.
How can infections enter the buccal space?
🦷 From infected roots of maxillary or mandibular teeth.
How does the buccal space communicate?
🔁 With the pterygomandibular space and lateral pharyngeal space.
What are signs of buccal space infection?
😷 Swelling on the lateral aspect of the cheek.
What are the three pharyngeal constrictor muscles?
🔼 Superior, ➡️ middle, 🔽 inferior constrictors.
What fasciae are associated with the pharynx?
🧵 Carotid sheath, prevertebral fascia, buccopharyngeal fascia.
What spaces does the lateral pharyngeal space communicate with?
🔙 Retromandibular space, 🔜 buccal space, 🔄 pterygomandibular space.
What critical structures are at risk at lateral pharygneal space if infection spreads here?
☠️ Internal jugular vein (IJV) thrombosis, carotid artery rupture.
Where is the retropharyngeal space located?
🧱 Between buccopharyngeal and prevertebral fascia, behind the pharynx.
How can infections reach the retrophayrngeal space?
🦠 From throat, tonsils, sinuses, nose or via lymph nodes; also HIV & TB.
What are complications of a retropharyngeal abscess?
💔 Mediastinitis, pericarditis, tamponade, 🫁 pyopneumothorax, airway obstruction, spinal cord damage.
How is a retropharyngeal abscess treated?
💊 Antibiotics ± surgical drainage.
Where is the pterygomandibular space located?
📍 Between the medial pterygoid muscle and mandible ramus.
What important structure does pterygomanidbular space contain?
⚡ Inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle.
Which spaces does pteyrgomandibualr space communicate with?
🔝 Infratemporal fossa, 🔄 buccal & lateral pharyngeal spaces, ⬇️ submandibular space.
