[The role of MRI in the early diagnosis of pyomyositis in children].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of MRI in the early diagnosis and therapeutic assessment of pyomyositis.


METHODS
We reviewed the cases of 11 patients with proven pyomyositis presenting from January 2002 to March 2006. We describe the characteristic findings at plain-film radiography, ultrasound, and MRI, as well as the clinical presentation and laboratory findings.


RESULTS
The mean age of presentation was 10 years (range 3-14 years); there was a male predominance (7 cases). Only 4 patients had predisposing conditions. The most common clinical symptom was fever (9 cases). The most common laboratory findings were elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (10 cases) and leukocytosis (8 cases). Plain-film and US findings were nonspecific in all cases. Scintigraphy was positive in 4 cases. MRI showed osteomuscular involvement in all cases and enabled the abscesses to be identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Pyomyositis is a primary bacterial infection of skeletal muscle. In recent years pyomyositis has increasingly been diagnosed even in patients without predisposing factors. There is a male predominance. Imaging is essential for the diagnosis of the pyomyositis, and radiologists play a crucial role in the early diagnosis of this infection. MRI is the imaging method of choice for characterizing the infection.
Baleato González
S
S
Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Clinico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain. baleatorum@hotmail.com
Vilanova
J C
JC
García Figueiras
R
R
Alvarez Moreno
A
A
Alonso Martín
A
A
Ares Rego
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D052880:Pyomyositis / Q000175:diagnosis*