A Case of Acute Mediastinitis Presenting with Generalized Edema

Acute mediastinitis is a serious infection which occurs around the mediastinal tissues. It is a rare clinical condition. The most common causes are esophageal perforation and postoperative infection, particularly following median sternotomy. Early diagnosis is effective on mortality but because of atypical initial findings the diagnosis can be delayed. We report a 3-year-old boy admitted with generalized edema, fever and cough. His chest radiography revealed an acute mediastinal widening and computed tomographic scan showed a mediastinal abscess with pericardial and pleural effusion.