Suspected chest malignancy hiding Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lung infection - case report and review of literature
Abstract
Empyema necessitans is a rare complication of parapneumonic effusion. Here, we present the case of an eight-year-old girl who presented with a tumor-like chest mass. The clinical presentation initially suggested a malignant disease. A multidisciplinary approach prior to surgery enabled a correct diagnosis by performing pre-surgery cultures and submitting surgical specimens for both microbiological and histopathological analysis. The microbiological workup demonstrated an Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans infection, which was consistent with the histopathological findings. Antibiotic therapy was administered for a total of 8 weeks, leading to the complete resolution of the symptoms and the lesion. This article provides a detailed description of this exceptional infection in children that can initially be misdiagnosed as a malignant lesion and offers a review of the limited literature on published cases in pediatrics.
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Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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