Empyema differential diagnosis
|
Empyema Microchapters |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Differential diagnosis
| Variable | Empyema Thoracis | Lung abscess | parapneumonic effusion | Pneumonia | Lung cancer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Variable presentation but may follow long standing pneumonia | Usually has history of aspiration pneumonia, alcoholics, drug abusers, seizure disorder, have undergone recent general anesthesia, or have a nasogastric or endotracheal tube. | Usually follows pneumonia | presents with fever, pleuritc chest pain, cough | mostly asymptomatic but may have cough productive with hemoptysis |
| CT scan | Seen as a lung mass whose cavity is regular with smooth and regular lumen, well-defined defined boundary and shape changes with change in patient's position. Mass may resolve on antibiotics | Lung mass whose cavity is rregular with undulated lumen, irregular-poorly defined boundary and shape does not change with change in patient's position. Mass may resolve on antibiotics | Seen as a lung mass that does not resolve on antibiotics |