The Medical journal of Malaysia
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Case Reports
The great masquerade: Empyema thoracis as an unusual presentation of primary lung malignancy.
Primary lung malignancy presenting as empyema is rare, with a reported incidence of 0.3%. We report a case of a 60- year-old man presenting with unilateral pleural effusion; diagnostic thoracocentesis confirmed Salmonella empyema. ⋯ We discuss the mechanism of post-obstructive pneumonia in lung cancerassociated empyema and the utility of bedside ultrasound in diagnosis of lung masses. Clinicians are alerted to the possibility of lung malignancy in elderly patients presenting with empyema.