We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Spontaneous Bacterial Pleuritis in a Patient with Cirrhosis.
- Authors
Streifler, Jonathan; Pitlik, Silvio; Dux, Shlomo; Garty, Moshe; Rosenfeld, Joseph B.
- Abstract
Empyema of the left pleural cavity developed suddenly in a nonalcoholic cirrhotic patient. Cultures of the pleural fluid under anaerobic conditions grew Clostridium perfringens, an organism normally found in the enteric flora. The infection developed in an old pleural effusion. Since there was no evidence of trauma, necrotizing pneumonitis or subphrenic infection, spontaneous bacterial pleuritis is proposed. Bacterial infections are frequent among cirrhotic patients. The ascitic fluid may be contaminated by blood-borne enteric bacteria [1]. The resulting 'spontaneous bacterial peritonitis' is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever, chills, abdominal pain and an increase in the amount of ascitic fluid [1]. The pleural cavity counterpart to 'spontaneous bacterial peritonitis' has not been described. We report the case of a cirrhotic patient who suddenly developed a clostridial empyema in the left pleural cavity despite the absence of trauma, necrotizing pneumonitis or subphrenic infection Copyright © 1984 S. Karger AG, Basel
- Publication
Respiration, 1984, Vol 46, Issue 4, p382
- ISSN
0025-7931
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1159/000194716