What does phlegmon mean?
Overview. Phlegmon is a medical term describing an inflammation of soft tissue that spreads under the skin or inside the body. It’s usually caused by an infection and produces pus. The name phlegmon comes from the Greek word phlegmone, meaning inflammation or swelling.
What is the most common cause of epidural abscess?
Typically, an epidural abscess is caused by a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection. It could also result from a fungus or another germ circulating in your body.
What is the difference between a phlegmon and an abscess?
The difference between phlegmon and abscess is as follows: Phlegmon is unlimited and can continue to spread through connective tissue and muscle fibers. The abscess is surrounded by a wall and limited to the area of infection.
Is phlegmon the same as cellulitis?
Cellulitis (phlegmon) is a severe, deep, suppurative infection wherein the process spreads along tissue planes. The infection may extend to the skin surface, producing draining tracts, and/or involve the subcutaneous fat. Depending on the cause of the cellulitis, there may be extensive edema.
What is the treatment for epidural abscess?
Treatment of spinal epidural abscesses typically includes surgery and antibiotics or antifungals. In some cases, treatment may include only antibiotics. Antibiotics will be given typically for 4-6 weeks.
What happens if you cant drain an abscess?
If a skin abscess is not drained, it may continue to grow and fill with pus until it bursts, which can be painful and can cause the infection to spread or come back.
How can you tell the difference between an abscess and cellulitis?
Abscesses are generally larger and deeper with redness and painful swelling over an area filled with pus. Cellulitis is an infection within the skin and the area just beneath it; the skin is red and tender to touch.
Is an abscess the same as a lesion?
Erysipelas lesions are raised above the level of surrounding skin with clear demarcation between involved and uninvolved tissue. A skin abscess manifests as a painful, fluctuant, erythematous nodule, with or without surrounding cellulitis (picture 7).
How serious is an epidural abscess?
Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a severe pyogenic infection of the epidural space that leads to devastating neurological deficits and may be fatal. SEA is usually located in the thoracic and lumbar parts of the vertebral column and injures the spine by direct compression or local ischemia.
How do you treat an epidural abscess?
The signs and symptoms of epidural abscess are nonspecific and can range from low back pain to sepsis. The treatment of choice in most patients is surgical decompression followed by four to six weeks of antibiotic therapy. Nonsurgical treatment may be appropriate in selected patients.
How serious is an abscess on the spine?
An untreated spinal cord abscess can lead to spinal cord compression. It can cause permanent, severe paralysis and nerve loss. It may be life threatening. If the abscess is not drained completely, it may return or cause scarring in the spinal cord.