Internal medicine journal
-
Internal medicine journal · Dec 2009
The prognostic values of soft tissue sonography for adult cellulitis without pus or abscess formation.
Abstract The current practice for cellulitis in diagnosis and treatment is mainly based on subjective clinical judgement without validated objective guidance. For patients with non-purulent cellulitis needing intravenous antibiotic treatment in hospital, we found soft tissue sonography performed around 4 days after initiation of antibiotics might have prognostic values. The patients with soft tissue sonographic pattern of subcutaneous thickening alone had shorter duration of antibiotic treatment and higher rate of early treatment response to antibiotics than those with the pattern of cobblestone appearance. Larger-scale research may be warranted to validate the prognostic roles of sonography in cellulitis management.
-
Internal medicine journal · Dec 2009
Case Reports Comparative StudySpontaneous spinal infections in older people.
Back pain is common in the elderly. Spinal infection is a rare, but possibly increasing, cause. We describe a retrospective case note review of 41 patients aged 65 years and over with spontaneous spinal infections over a 6-year period. ⋯ The mean time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 34 days. Most patients presented with back pain and elevated CRP. Differentiation between discitis and other spinal infections does not appear to be important, as clinical characteristics and outcomes are similar.