Deep neck infections have been described since the time of Galen in the second century A.D., and their frequency has been markedly reduced after the development of chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics. But they may still result in significant morbidity and mortality despite the use of chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics. Retropharyngeal abscesses deserve special consideration because of ralative rarity and the anatomic relations of an abscess in the retropharyngeal space. We herein report two recent cases of retropharyngeal abscess with a review of the literature.