title: Parapneumonic empyema. A pitfall in diagnosis.
abstract: Two patients eventually shown to have empyema were encountered in which the initial thoracentesis revealed fluid compatible with either a simple or a complicated parapneumonic effusion. In both cases, the diagnosis of empyema was made by a second thoracentesis done at a close interval of time from a different site. Therefore, the physician should approach parapneumonic effusions systematically, and remember that in some cases, multiple thoracenteses may be required to make the correct diagnosis of an empyema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20007.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sporn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yeager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed