Danger space

Danger space
Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. Showing the arrangement of the fascia coli.
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	12745223
*Anatomical terminology* [edit on Wikidata]

The danger space is a region of the neck.^[1]

Anatomy

It is bounded superiorly by the skull base, anteriorly by the alar fascia and posteriorly by the prevertebral fascia. It comes to an end at the level of the diaphragm.

The retropharyngeal space is found anterior to the danger zone, between the buccopharnygeal fascia and alar fascia. There exists a midline raphe in this space so some infections of this space appear unilateral.

History

It was first characterized in 1938.^[2]^[3]

Clinical significance

It gets its common name from the risk that an infection in this space can spread directly to the thorax, it is sometimes also referred to as the Alar space. It is a median space without a midline raphe and hence infection can spread easily to either side.

References

↑ Reynolds SC, Chow AW (2009). "Severe soft tissue infections of the head and neck: a primer for critical care physicians". Lung 187 (5): 271–9. doi:10.1007/s00408-009-9153-7. PMID 19653038.
↑ Adelson, Robert T. (2005). "Minimally invasive transoral catheter-assisted drainage of a danger-space infection". Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
↑ Grodinsky M, Holyoke EA. The fasciae and fascial spaces of the head, neck and adjacent regions. Am J Anat 1938;63:367-408.

External links

Anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract, excluding the mouth

Upper

Pharynx	Muscles Spaces peripharyngeal retropharyngeal parapharyngeal retrovisceral danger prevertebral Pterygomandibular raphe Pharyngeal raphe Buccopharyngeal fascia Pharyngobasilar fascia Piriform sinus

Esophagus	Sphincters upper lower glands

Stomach	Curvatures greater lesser Angular incisure Cardia Body Fundus Pylorus antrum canal sphincter Gastric mucosa Gastric folds Microanatomy Gastric pits Gastric glands Cardiac glands Fundic glands Pyloric glands Foveolar cell Parietal cell Gastric chief cell Enterochromaffin-like cell

Lower

Small intestine

Microanatomy	Intestinal villus Intestinal gland Enterocyte Enteroendocrine cell Goblet cell Paneth cell

Duodenum	Suspensory muscle Major duodenal papilla Minor duodenal papilla Duodenojejunal flexure Brunner's glands

Jejunum	no substructures

Ileum	Ileocecal valve Peyer's patches Microfold cell

Large

Cecum	Appendix

Colon	Ascending colon Hepatic flexure Transverse colon Splenic flexure Descending colon Sigmoid colon Continuous taenia coli haustra epiploic appendix

Rectum	Transverse folds Ampulla

Anal canal	Anus Anal columns Anal valves Anal sinuses Pectinate line Internal anal sphincter Intersphincteric groove External anal sphincter

Wall

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, September 24, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.