Empyema necessitatis in an infant: a rare surgical disease

J Pediatr Surg. 2006 Jul;41(7):e5-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2006.03.013.

Abstract

Empyema necessitatis is a rare complication of empyema and is more commonly reported in adults. It is characterized by purulence in the pleural space extending into the overlying soft tissues. We report a rare case in an otherwise healthy 3-month-old girl who presented with right chest wall swelling and was subsequently found to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus empyema necessitatis requiring thoracotomy with decortication.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Empyema, Pleural / diagnostic imaging
  • Empyema, Pleural / microbiology
  • Empyema, Pleural / surgery*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Methicillin Resistance
  • Pulmonary Surgical Procedures
  • Radiography
  • Staphylococcal Infections / complications
  • Staphylococcus aureus*