A 68 year old woman presents to the Emergency Department with a 2 day history of fever, dysphagia and mouth pain. On examination she has a tender, symmetrical induration of the submandibular area. Her tongue is slightly protruded. What is the most likely source of infection to explain this patient's condition?
Ludwig's angina is a bilateral infection of the submandibular space that consists of two compartments in the floor of the mouth, the sublingual space and the submental space. It is an aggressive, rapidly spreading cellulitis, without lymphatic involvement and with the potential for airway obstruction necessitating an urgent tracheostomy.
Over two-thirds of patients with Ludwig’s angina have a dental source of infection, usually involving the second or third mandibular molar teeth. Other sources of infection include contiguous spread from peritonsillar abscess or suppurative parotitis.
The submandibular space lies within the submental and submandibular triangles between the mucosa of the floor of the mouth and the superficial layer of the deep cervical fascia. It is subdivided by the mylohyoid muscle into the sublingual space (which contains the sublingual gland, hypoglossal nerve, part of the submandibular gland, and loose connective tissue) and the submental space (which contains the submandibular salivary gland and lymph nodes). The two divisions can be considered as a single unit, however, as they directly communicate posteriorly around the mylohyoid muscle. This accounts for the bilateral involvement by contiguous spread of infection within the submandibular space in Ludwig’s angina.
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Biochemistry | Normal Value |
---|---|
Sodium | 135 – 145 mmol/l |
Potassium | 3.0 – 4.5 mmol/l |
Urea | 2.5 – 7.5 mmol/l |
Glucose | 3.5 – 5.0 mmol/l |
Creatinine | 35 – 135 μmol/l |
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) | 5 – 35 U/l |
Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) | < 65 U/l |
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) | 30 – 135 U/l |
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) | < 40 U/l |
Total Protein | 60 – 80 g/l |
Albumin | 35 – 50 g/l |
Globulin | 2.4 – 3.5 g/dl |
Amylase | < 70 U/l |
Total Bilirubin | 3 – 17 μmol/l |
Calcium | 2.1 – 2.5 mmol/l |
Chloride | 95 – 105 mmol/l |
Phosphate | 0.8 – 1.4 mmol/l |
Haematology | Normal Value |
---|---|
Haemoglobin | 11.5 – 16.6 g/dl |
White Blood Cells | 4.0 – 11.0 x 109/l |
Platelets | 150 – 450 x 109/l |
MCV | 80 – 96 fl |
MCHC | 32 – 36 g/dl |
Neutrophils | 2.0 – 7.5 x 109/l |
Lymphocytes | 1.5 – 4.0 x 109/l |
Monocytes | 0.3 – 1.0 x 109/l |
Eosinophils | 0.1 – 0.5 x 109/l |
Basophils | < 0.2 x 109/l |
Reticulocytes | < 2% |
Haematocrit | 0.35 – 0.49 |
Red Cell Distribution Width | 11 – 15% |
Blood Gases | Normal Value |
---|---|
pH | 7.35 – 7.45 |
pO2 | 11 – 14 kPa |
pCO2 | 4.5 – 6.0 kPa |
Base Excess | -2 – +2 mmol/l |
Bicarbonate | 24 – 30 mmol/l |
Lactate | < 2 mmol/l |
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