Descending necrotizing mediastinitis : A report of two cases

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is a very severe disease. We present two cases of descending necrotizing mediastinitis that were both successfully treated with surgical drainage and adequate an-tibiotics. The first case was a 49-year-old male with deep neck abscess. Cervical drainage was performed first. In spite of the cervical drainage and intravenous infusion of antibiotics, the abscess remained and extended to the mediastinum on computed tomography five days after the first operation. At the second operation, cervical drainage and thoracoscopic drainage were performed by thoracic sur-geons, and the abscess disappeared.