Ramesh Candamourty1, Suresh Venkatachalam1, MR Ramesh Babu2, G Suresh Kumar1
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute Campus, Pillaiyarkuppam, Pondicherry, India.
2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Pondicherry, India.
DOI: 10.4103/0976-9668.101932
ABSTRACT
Ludwig’s angina is a form of severe diffuse cellulitis that presents an acute onset and spreads rapidly, bilaterally affecting the submandibular, sublingual and submental spaces resulting in a state of emergency. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment planning could be a life-saving procedure. Here we report a case of wide spread odontogenic infection extending to the neck with elevation of the floor of the mouth obstructing the airway which resulted in breathlessness and stridor for which the patient was directed to maintain his airway by elective tracheostomy and subsequent drainage of the potentially involved spaces. Late stages of the disease should be addressed immediately and given special importance towards the maintenance of airway followed by surgical decompression under antibiotic coverage. The appropriate use of parenteral antibiotics, airway protection techniques, and formal surgical drainage of the infection remains the standard protocol of treatment in advanced cases of Ludwig’s angina.
Keywords: Ludwig′s angina, odontogenic infection, surgical decompression, tracheostomy.
