Pediatric Emergency Medicine Journal  2017;4(2):102-105

doi:10.22470/pemj.2017.00115

The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease in a 10-year-old girl presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy and fever suggesting retropharyngeal abscess.

Soyun HWANG 1 ; Jea Yeon CHOI

Affiliations

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Keywords

Fever; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome; Neck Pain; Retropharyngeal Abscess; Vasculitis

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Given that Kawasaki disease (KD) can cause cardiac complications, it is crucial to diagnose and treat the disease in the emergency department. We report a case of a 10-year-old girl who presented to the emergency department with cervical lymphadenopathy and fever. The initial diagnosis was retropharyngeal abscess based on computed tomography findings, but antibiotic therapy failed and she was subsequently diagnosed with KD. After 3 doses of intravenous immunoglobulin along with methylprednisolone and methotrexate, she was discharged on hospital day 21. The cervical lymphadenopathy suggesting retropharyngeal abscess might be an early sign of incomplete or intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant KD.