Diagnosing Cellulitis of the Penis with Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in a Resource-Limited Setting

Cellulitis is a potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Penile cellulitis refers to the inflammation of the penile shaft and commonly occurs in uncircumcised, sexually active young adults. We reported the case of a 25-year-old heterosexual circumcised male patient with a two-day history of swe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in emergency medicine 2023-07, Vol.2023, p.1-4
Main Authors: Asfaw, Yonathan Aliye, Anand, Ayush, Huang, Helen, Taimur, Muhammad, Poudel, Sujan, Kumar, Rajeswar, Kadom, Mhmod, Shah, Sangam, Lazovic, Gavrilo, Rodriguez, Ivan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age groups
Antibiotics
Bacterial infections
Case Report
Case reports
Cellulitis
Consent
Diagnostic imaging
Emergency medical care
Health aspects
Heterosexuality
Infections
Laboratories
Low income groups
Medical colleges
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Methicillin
Microbiology
Pathogens
Patients
Penis
Point of care testing
Sexual intercourse
Sexually transmitted diseases
Skin
Skin diseases
STD
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasound imaging
Urinalysis
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Summary:Cellulitis is a potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Penile cellulitis refers to the inflammation of the penile shaft and commonly occurs in uncircumcised, sexually active young adults. We reported the case of a 25-year-old heterosexual circumcised male patient with a two-day history of swelling and pain over the penile shaft. Local examination revealed a diffusely swollen penile shaft, erythematous, warm to the touch, and tender. The penile discharge culture was suggestive of a Streptococcus species infection. Ultrasonography of the penis showed increased echogenicity of the left side of the penile shaft soft tissue with a markedly increased Doppler signal, indicating cellulitis. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with cellulitis of the penis and managed with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Though history and clinical examination are sufficient to diagnose penile cellulitis, our case highlighted that ultrasound could also support the diagnosis of penile cellulitis and help rule out differentials.
ISSN:2090-648X
2090-6498
DOI:10.1155/2023/1626736