title: Acute pulmonary embolism leading to cavitation and large pulmonary abscess: A rare complication of pulmonary infarction.
abstract: Pulmonary infarction is an infrequent complication of pulmonary embolism due to the dual blood supply of the lung. Autopsy studies have reported cavitation to occur in only 4-5% of all pulmonary infarctions with an even smaller proportion of these cases becoming secondarily infected. Patients with infected cavitating pulmonary infarction classically present with fever, positive sputum culture, and leukocytosis days to weeks following acute pulmonary embolism. We describe a rare case of acute pulmonary embolism with pulmonary infarction leading to cavitation and subsequent abscess formation requiring left lower lobe resection.
authors.affiliation: San Antonio Military Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Koroscil
authors.affiliation: Wright-Patterson Medical Center, 4881 Sugar Maple Drive, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hauser