Abstract
Background
Because of the rise in community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), presentations to the emergency department for the evaluation of cutaneous
abscesses have risen dramatically over the past 2 decades. Soft tissue point of care
ultrasound (POCUS) differentiates abscess from cellulitis, determines the size and
shape, and characterizes the contents of the abscess. It has been shown to improve
medical decision-making and therefore the emergency management of cutaneous abscesses
over physical examination alone.
Case Report
We report a case of an unusual nonhealing abscess in an 18-year-old woman with a recent
history of foreign travel where soft tissue POCUS identified motion within the abscess
pocket. This changed the management of the case, leading to the diagnosis of bot fly
myiasis.
Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?
Clinicians should entertain a broader differential for an apparent abscess and consider
liberal use of soft tissue POCUS in these cases.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 24, 2016
Accepted:
March 26,
2016
Received in revised form:
March 18,
2016
Received:
December 16,
2015
Footnotes
Reprints are not available from the authors.
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Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
