Surgical treatment of tinea capitis in childhood

Fungal infections of the scalp can cause kerion, pus-filled swellings, that may look like bacterial abscesses. We report on two children who underwent incision and drainage of their kerions under local and general anesthesia. This treatment was inappropriate: it carried the risk associated with gene...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycoses 2003-09, Vol.46 (8), p.351-354
Main Authors: Thoma-Greber, E, Zenker, S, Röcken, M, Wolff, H, Korting, H C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abscess
Child
Diagnostic Errors
Humans
Male
Scalp - microbiology
Scalp - surgery
Staphylococcal Infections - diagnosis
Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification
Tinea Capitis - microbiology
Tinea Capitis - surgery
Trichophyton - isolation & purification
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Fungal infections of the scalp can cause kerion, pus-filled swellings, that may look like bacterial abscesses. We report on two children who underwent incision and drainage of their kerions under local and general anesthesia. This treatment was inappropriate: it carried the risk associated with general anesthesia and surgery without providing the therapeutic chance linked to adequate antimicrobial chemotherapy. We recommend that children who are present at emergency departments with pus-filled swellings on the scalp should be referred to a dermatology unit where appropriate clinical and laboratory investigations and antifungal treatment can be provided, if considered adequate.
ISSN:0933-7407