Mediastinitis secondary to an odontogenic infection. A case report.

: Infectious mediastinitis of odontogenic etiology is a rare occurrence in the United States. The mortality associated with descending necrotizing mediastinitis is estimated at 40% to 50%, even with advances made in management of such serious infections. The early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of odontogenic infections has made this entity relatively obsolete, but we have not been able to eliminate the disease process altogether. We report on a case that was managed successfully, albeit with a long, protracted course.