Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DEFINITION:
Localised area of suppuration and tissue
necrosis.
Fig. Chest X-ray. Abscess.
Note air-fluid level
Aetiopathogenesis
• Aspiration of infected oropharyngeal
contents / vomitus.
NB: Poor oral hygiene and sepsis.
Ç Risk of aspiration:
- Loss of consciousness (alcoholic stupor,
anaesthesia, epilepsy).
- Oesophageal pathology (carcinoma,
congenital
atresia / fistula).
• Obstruction of bronchus
- carcinoma, foreign body.
• Complication of pneumonia
- virulent organisms esp. Klebsiella, Staph.
• Bronchiectasis.
• Septic embolism (infective endocarditis on
right-sided heart valves) or septisaemia.
• Penetrating trauma e.g. stab wound.
• Direct spread of sepsis from other organs
(e.g. amoebic liver abscess).
Complications
• Rupture into pleural space ⇒ empyema or
broncho-pleural fistula (⇒ pyopneumothorax).
• Rupture into pericardium ⇒ pericarditis.
• Septisaemia ⇒ sepsis in other organs e.g.
osteomyelitis, brain abscess.
• Erosion of blood vessels ⇒ haemoptysis.
• Organisation ⇒ fibrosis.