Retropharyngeal abscesses, although uncommon, present a perplexing diagnostic and therapeutic problem. In the adult, the disease is less encountered than in the child. Two adult patients with retropharyngeal abscess are presented, one following upper respiratory tract infection and the other resulting from pharyngeal trauma by fishbone. In general, therapy is based on a prompt and accurate diagnosis followed by appropriate surgical drainage. Intraoral drainage in the Rose position is adequate for small, well-localized abscess, while extraoral incision and drainage via anterior cervical approach are required for large abscess. We just followed these lines of treatment in our two cases. There were no severe complications such as airway obstruction or mediastinal extension.