BACKGROUND Defensins, also known as human neutrophil peptides, are antimicrobial peptides present in the azurophil granules of neutrophils. We measured their level in pleural effusion in various pulmonary diseases to investigate whether they could be used as a diagnostic marker in the differential diagnosis of specific pleural diseases. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS We analyzed pleural effusion s...

Empyema necessitans is a complication of a pleural space infection that dissects through the pleura into the soft tissues of the chest and skin. Due to the widespread availability of antibiotics, empyema necessitans is rare in modern medicine and is most commonly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A 38-year-old immunocompetent male presented with left shoulder pain and his chest radiograph r...

BACKGROUND Pediatric empyema necessitates prompt resolution and early hospital discharge with minimal morbidity. However, the most effective treatment approach is not yet established. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of an intrapleural streptokinase washing protocol as a non-operative treatment for stage II pediatric empyema as compared to operative decortications, by the number of pediatric...

The purpose of this paper is to present in summary three cases of subtotal pulmonary lobectomy and one case of total pneumonectomy, all of which were carried out in the presence of a complicating encapsulated empyema without preliminary drainage. It has been rather commonly considered in cases of pleural empyema complicating suppurative disease of the lung parenchyma that preliminary drainage s...

OBJECTIVE The present work aimed to retrospectively assess the outcomes associated with decortication by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in patients with tuberculous empyema. METHODS Patients (n = 274) who underwent decortication by VATS for surgical management of pleural empyema between January 2000 to 2010 were included. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative characteristics were observed f...

We report a clinical case of meningoencephalitis with subdural empyema in an immunocompromised farmer caused by toxigenic Clostridium perfringens type A, which was identified by 16S RNA gene analysis of cerebrospinal fluid and subdural empyema. In immunocompromised patients, C. perfringens should be considered a potential pathogen of sepsis.

Thoracic empyema and vertebral osteomyelitis is a rare combination. We report a case of vertebral osteomyelitis possibly caused by a progressive thoracic empyema. The causative pathogen was Escherichia coli. Computed tomographic (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested the diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis, confirmed by transthoracic needle aspiration and operative findings. ...

Seven patients with subdural empyema were initially treated by antibiotics without surgery. Six have recovered without sequelae. One required delayed surgery and has recovered with epilepsy. The authors emphasise the use of CT for the diagnosis and follow-up of subdural empyema, the principles and modalities of non-surgical treatment, and the good results, especially for late morbidity.

Figure 1 CT-scan showed right frontal extra-axial collections suggesting an acute extradural hematoma (white arrows) associated to chronic subdural hematoma (black arrows). However, craniotomy showed that the supposed chronic subdural hematoma was a typical subdural empyema. This image illustrates the possible association between epidural hematoma and subdural empyema in patients with craniofac...