Author(s)

Joseph-Francis Nwatsock^1,2, Ambroise-Merci Seme Engoumou¹, Maggy Mbede¹, Christopher Vagoda Sinbaï¹, Christopher Vagoda Sinbaï¹, Amos Ela Bela³, Emilienne Guegang Goujou^1,2

¹Department of Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
²Department of Radiology, Yaoundé General Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
³Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Yaoundé General Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Pleural effusion is a common complication of acute lung infection, with rising morbidity and mortality. If poorly treated, parapneumonic effusion evolves to the fibrino-purulent stage wherein antibiotic therapy alone becomes inadequate. Chest CT is the gold standard diagnostic imaging tool, however, in a resource-limited context, it may not be performed. Chest ultrasound can therefore be an alternative for drainage and intermittent follow-up of complicated parapneumonic pleural effusions. We report the case of a 4-year-old child who presented with cough, breathing difficulties and fever for over two weeks and in whom an initial chest X-ray revealed a left hemithorax white-out with an air-fluid level. Chest ultrasound revealed a left pleuropulmonary massive fluid collection with an encysted empyema. It also allowed ultrasound-guided pleural effusion drainage of a fibrino-purulent liquid which tested positive for Kocuria kristinae, a bacterium sensitive to gentamycin, vancomycin, norfloxacin and clindamycin. The next follow-up ultrasound checks showed improvement and the control chest X-ray performed one month later demonstrated pulmonary functional recovery. This case highlights the importance of ultrasound in the management and follow-up of this chest pathology in resource-limited settings.

Chest Ultrasound, Ultrasound-Guided Pleural Puncture, Parapneumonic Effusion

Nwatsock, J. , Engoumou, A. , Mbede, M. , Sinbaï, C. , Sinbaï, C. , Bela, A. and Goujou, E. (2023) Ultrasound Value in the Management of Parapneumonic Pleural Effusions in a Limited-Resource Setting: A Case Report. Open Journal of Radiology, 13, 134-138. doi: 10.4236/ojrad.2023.133014.