Child ; Humans ; Tuberculosis, Spinal/diagnosis* ; Spondylitis/diagnosis* ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; Suppuration/diagnosis* ; Diagnostic Errors

The purpose of this study was to report and discuss the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive atelectasis secondary to pus obstruction in a patient who had developed a maxillofacial abscess, and to review the literature on similar cases. Persistently discharging pus within the oral cavity can act as an aspirate, and may lead to obstructive atelectasis. Additionally, maxillofacial surgery patients should be carefully assessed for the presence of risk factors of obstructive atelectasis, such as, epistaxis after nasotracheal intubation, oral bleeding, and mucus secretion. Furthermore, patients with these risk factors should be continuously followed up by monitoring SPO₂, breath sounds, and chest x-ray.
Abscess ; Anesthesia, General ; Diagnosis ; Epistaxis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation ; Mouth ; Mucus ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Risk Factors ; Suppuration ; Surgery, Oral ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Primary anal actinomycosis of cryptoglandular origin, a rare cause of anal suppurative disease, requires specific management to be cured. The aims of this retrospective study were to describe clinical, morphological, and microbiological features of this entity and to evaluate management practices for new cases observed since 2001. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series conducted at the Diaconesses-Croix Saint-Simon Hospital in Paris. RESULTS: From January 2001 to July 2016, 7 patients, 6 males and 1 female (median, 49 years), presenting with an actinomycotic abscess with a cryptoglandular anal fistula were included for study. The main symptom was an acute painful ischioanal abscess. One patient exhibited macroscopic small yellow granules (“sulfur granules”), another “watery pus” and a third subcutaneous gluteal septic metastasis. All patients were overweight (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2). Histological study of surgically excised tissue established the diagnosis. All the patients were managed with a combination of classical surgical treatment and prolonged antibiotic therapy. No recurrence was observed during follow-up, the median follow-up being 3 years. CONCLUSION: Actinomycosis should be suspected particularly when sulfur granules are present in the pus, patients have undergone multiple surgeries or suppuration has an unusual aspect. Careful histological examination and appropriate cultures of pus are needed to achieve complete eradication of this rare, but easily curable, disease.
Abscess ; Actinomycosis ; Acute Pain ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Overweight ; Rectal Fistula ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sulfur ; Suppuration

PURPOSE: Tularemia is an infection caused by Francisella tularensis. Its diagnosis and treatment may be difficult in many cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment modalities for pediatric tularemia patients who do not respond to medical treatment. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective study was performed. A total of 19 children with oropharyngeal tularemia were included. RESULTS: Before diagnosis, the duration of symptoms in patients was 32.15±17.8 days. The most common lymph node localization was the cervical chain. All patients received medical treatment (e.g., streptomycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline). Patients who had been given streptomycin, gentamicin, or doxycycline as initial therapy for 10–14 days showed no response to treatment, and recovery was only achieved after administration of oral ciprofloxacin. Response to treatment was delayed in 5 patients who had been given ciprofloxacin as initial therapy. Surgical incision and drainage were performed in 9 patients (47.5%) who were unresponsive to medical treatment and were experiencing abcess formation and suppuration. Five patients (26.3%) underwent total mass excision, and 2 patients (10.5%) underwent fine-needle aspiration to reach a conclusive differential diagnosis and inform treatment. CONCLUSION: The causes of treatment failure in tularemia include delay in effective treatment and the development of suppurating lymph nodes.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child ; Ciprofloxacin ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Doxycycline ; Drainage ; Francisella tularensis ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptomycin ; Suppuration ; Treatment Failure ; Tularemia

Intraorbital wooden foreign bodies may present difficulties in diagnosis due to their radiolucent nature. Delayed recognition and management can cause significant complications. We present a case report that demonstrates these problems and the sequela that can follow. A 56-year-old man presented with a 3-cm laceration in the right upper eyelid, sustained by a slipping accident. After computed tomography (CT) scanning and ophthalmology consultation, which revealed no fractures and suggested only pneumophthalmos, the wound was repaired by a plastic surgery resident. Ten days later, the patient’s eyelid displayed signs of infection including pus discharge. Antibiotics and revisional repair failed to solve the infection. Nearly 2 months after the initial repair, a CT scan revealed a large wooden fragment in the superomedial orbit. Surgical exploration successfully removed the foreign body and inflamed pocket, and the patient healed uneventfully. However, the prolonged intraorbital infection had caused irreversible damage to the superior rectus muscle, with upgaze diplopia persisting 1 year after surgery and only minimal muscle function remaining. We report this case to warn clinicians of the difficulties in early diagnosis of intraorbital wooden foreign bodies and the grave prognosis of delayed management.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Diplopia ; Early Diagnosis ; Eye Foreign Bodies ; Eye Injuries, Penetrating ; Eyelids ; Foreign Bodies* ; Humans ; Lacerations ; Middle Aged ; Ophthalmology ; Orbit ; Prognosis ; Suppuration ; Surgery, Plastic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic features of peritonsillar abscess are an asymmetrically enlarged palatine tonsil with peripheral rim enhancement and central low density in the post-contrast computed tomography (CT). Although it is necessary to differentiate tumorous conditions of tonsils to compare pre- and post-contrast CT, pre-contrast CT may be less useful in the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess. This study aims to evaluate of the efficacy of single post-contrast CT for diagnosis and treatment of peritonsillar abscess. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We retrospectively compared 29 patients with peritonsillar abscess, who were diagnosed by single post-contrast CT, with 36 patients diagnosed by pre- and post-contrast CT to determine the success rates of pus drainage and hospital days. Additionally, two otorhinolaryngologists made a judgment of abscess presence for sixty randomly mixed CT images of peritonsillar abscess or tonsillitis with pre- and post-contrast CT or single post-contrast CT. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the success rate of drainage (p=0.622) and hospital days (p=0.504) between groups with/without pre-contrast CT. Abscess presence was judged by raters with/without pre-contrast CT. Inter-rater agreement value (Cohen's kappa) was 0.825 (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Single post-contrast CT of peritonsillar abscess may be a good alternative for diagnosis and treatment and may reduce unnecessary exposure to radiation.
Abscess ; Contrast Media ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Humans ; Judgment ; Methods ; Palatine Tonsil ; Peritonsillar Abscess ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Suppuration ; Tonsillitis

Pentastomiasis, a zoonotic parasite infection, is typically found in the respiratory tract and viscera of the host, including humans. Here, we report for the first time an extremely rare case of intraosseous pentastomiasis in the human maxilla suffering from medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). A 55-year-old male had continuously visited the hospital for MRONJ which had primarily developed after bisphosphonate and anti-neoplastic administration for previous bone metastasis of medullary thyroid cancer. Pain, bone exposure, and pus discharge in the right mandible and left maxilla were seen. Osteolysis with maxillary cortical bone perforation at the left buccal vestibule, palate, nasal cavity, and maxillary sinus was observed by radiologic images. A biopsy was done at the left maxilla and through pathological evaluation, a parasite with features of pentastome was revealed within the necrotic bone tissue. Further history taking and laboratory evaluation was done. The parasite was suspected to be infected through maxillary open wounds caused by MRONJ. Awareness of intraosseous pentastomiasis should be emphasized not to be missed behind the MRONJ. Proper evaluation and interpretation for past medical history may lead to correct differential diagnosis and therapeutic intervention for parasite infections.
Biopsy ; Bone and Bones ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Jaw ; Male ; Mandible ; Maxilla* ; Maxillary Sinus ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteolysis ; Osteonecrosis ; Palate ; Parasites ; Pentastomida ; Respiratory System ; Suppuration ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Viscera ; Wounds and Injuries

Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly of the urogenital tract, which is characterized by the triad of uterus didelphys, obstructed hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. It usually presents at puberty with pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and a vaginal or pelvic mass. Although rare, it may present with purulent vaginal discharge due to secondary infection of the obstructed hemivagina, making diagnosis difficult. A careful pelvic examination to identify the cervix and vagina is the key to the diagnosis of Müllerian duct anomalies and magnetic resonance imaging can provide additional useful information. The optimal treatment is full excision and marsupialization of the obstructing vaginal septum so that both uteri can drain through the patent vagina. The authors report a case of a 22-year-old female with an unusual presentation of Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome complicated by pyocolpos, which was successfully managed by vaginal septum resection and drainage of pus.
Adolescent ; Cervix Uteri ; Coinfection ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Gynecological Examination ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pelvic Pain ; Puberty ; Suppuration ; Uterus ; Vagina ; Vaginal Discharge ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to use decision tree analysis to explore the factors associated with pressure ulcers (PUs) among elderly people admitted to Korean long-term care facilities. METHODS: The data were extracted from the 2014 National Inpatient Sample (NIS)—data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). A MapReduce-based program was implemented to join and filter 5 tables of the NIS. The outcome predicted by the decision tree model was the prevalence of PUs as defined by the Korean Standard Classification of Disease-7 (KCD-7; code L89*). Using R 3.3.1, a decision tree was generated with the finalized 15,856 cases and 830 variables. RESULTS: The decision tree displayed 15 subgroups with 8 variables showing 0.804 accuracy, 0.820 sensitivity, and 0.787 specificity. The most significant primary predictor of PUs was length of stay less than 0.5 day. Other predictors were the presence of an infectious wound dressing, followed by having diagnoses numbering less than 3.5 and the presence of a simple dressing. Among diagnoses, “injuries to the hip and thigh” was the top predictor ranking 5th overall. Total hospital cost exceeding 2,200,000 Korean won (US $2,000) rounded out the top 7. CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous studies that showed length of stay, comorbidity, and total hospital cost were associated with PUs. Moreover, wound dressings were commonly used to treat PUs. They also show that machine learning, such as a decision tree, could effectively predict PUs using big data.
Aged ; Bandages ; Classification ; Comorbidity ; Data Mining ; Decision Trees* ; Diagnosis ; Hip ; Hospital Costs ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Insurance, Health ; Length of Stay ; Long-Term Care* ; Machine Learning ; Pressure Ulcer* ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Suppuration ; Wounds and Injuries

Nocardiosis is a rare but potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by several species of the genus Nocardia (N.), which are aerobic, filamentous, gram-positive bacilli. A definitive diagnosis depends on the isolation and identification of Nocardia species. But identification from clinical specimens may involve performing invasive techniques on the patient and lengthy process (take up to 1 or 3 weeks) owing to slow growth, and require a professional microbiologist. Currently the genus Nocardia is best identified using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Recently matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has launched a new era in the routine microbiology laboratory. This method has proved its efficacy for the identification and diagnosis of microorganism. MALDI-TOF MS has potential for use as a rapid (within 1 hour) and dependable method for the identification of Nocardia species with reproducibility and cost effectiveness. We report a 76-year-old woman who suffered from ulcer with papules on her right wrist and forearm. A biopsy of the skin showed granulomatous inflammation with central suppuration. A bacterial isolate from the skin was identified to be N. brasiliensis on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of nocardiosis in Korea caused by N. brasiliensis identified on MALDI-TOF MS.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Communicable Diseases ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Forearm ; Genes, rRNA ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Methods ; Nocardia ; Nocardia Infections* ; Sequence Analysis ; Skin ; Suppuration ; Ulcer ; Wrist