Objective To summarize the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment scheme of patients with deep neck infection.Methods Clinical data of 159 patients with deep neck infection admitted to our department from January 2010 to June 2024 were collected, including 88 children (0-14 years old) and 71 adults (over 14 years old). The collected data included predisposing factors, bacterial culture results, and treatment process.Results The most common predisposing factors in children were acute upper respiratory tract infection (40 cases, 45.45%) and acute lymphadenitis (34 cases, 38.64%), and the common pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus (12 strains, 36.36%). For adults, the most common predisposing factors were acute upper respiratory tract infection (25 cases, 35.21%) and odontogenic infection (21 cases, 29.58%), and the common pathogenic bacterium was Streptococcus (13 strains, 46.43%). Five patients were complicated with descending necrotizing mediastinitis. After multidisciplinary discussion and active surgical intervention, four patients were cured and one died.Conclusion The predisposing factors and bacterial culture between children and adults with deep neck infection have their own characteristics, which should be distinguished to select the best treatment plan. In the event of descending necrotizing mediastinitis, multidisciplinary discussion and active surgical intervention are extremely important.