Tropical Medicine & Surgery

Abstract

Ultrasound of Soft Tissue Infections

Hend Riahi, Ekbel Ezzedine, Meriem Mechri Rekik, Zied Jlailia, Mouna Chelli Bouaziz and Mohamed Fethi Ladeb

Soft tissue infections are relatively common in clinical practice and some of them are considered as surgical emergencies which may be life-threatening. Infection may involve the subcutaneous fat, hypodermis, and superficial fascia causing cellulitis or extend to the muscle or deep fascia thus resulting in necrotizing fasciitis or pyomyositis. Synovial bursae or tendon sheathes can also be involved. The most frequently implicated agents are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes but specific infections such as tuberculosis or echinococcosis may also be observed. Ultrasound can be considered as a first line imaging modality for soft tissues infections after radiographs in localizing the process within a muscle (e.g. pyomyositis), a bursae or a synovial sheath. It may also be used to guide needle aspiration of an abnormal fluid collection. This article reviews ultrasound findings in soft tissue infections and emphasizes the role of ultrasound in the management of these conditions