Case report reveals diagnostic challenges in sepsis and highlights importance of imaging studies.
This is the case of a 65-year-old female patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who presented following a fall and was found to have a humeral fracture. Initial evaluation showed sepsis of unknown origin, leukocytosis, and elevated inflammatory markers. Persistent abdominal pain prompted imaging studies, which showed multiloculated intra-abdominal abscesses. Ultrasound-guided drainage yielded Streptococcus anginosus and Bacteroides fragilis. Antibiotics, along with percutaneous drainage, resulted in a good clinical response. Follow-up imaging revealed a decrease in the abscess size, with no evidence of a fistula. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of intra-abdominal abscesses and the importance of timely imaging in patients presenting with sepsis and nonspecific symptoms.
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Babu et al. (2025) studied this question.
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