Abstract
Cutaneous abscesses are typically incised and drained on the basis of clinical assessment. In most cases this procedure is a safe practice. We report 6 cases in which pointof-care ultrasound interrogation of obvious abscesses revealed potential serious complications with planned incision and drainage. Management was altered in 5 of 6 cases, and potential vascular disasters were avoided. In 1 case, the ultrasound results were ignored, and incision and drainage was completed, confirming the suspected abscess was indeed a solid mass later diagnosed as a carcinoma. In this case series, pointof-care ultrasound interrogation provided rapid assessment and discovery of potentially catastrophic anatomic relationships, avoiding serious complications.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1425-1430 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2011 |
Keywords
- Abscess
- Emergency ultrasound
- Incision and drainage
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound
- Skin infection
- Soft tissue infection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging