Pleural infections: a clinical-radiologic review

Pleural space infection is a common disorder that may result from a wide variety of causes and is associated with a wide range of etiologic agents. The authors reviewed retrospectively records of 102 patients with discharge diagnoses of empyema and/or bronchopleural fistula. Chest radiographs and computed tomography closest to the time of initial diagnosis were evaluated separately. In 78 cases of empyema, the etiologies included primary pulmonary infections (49%), postsurgical (23%), traumatic (11.5%), intraabdominal pathology (5%), and unknown (11.5%). In 24 cases of bronchopleural fistulas, the etiologies were previous surgical procedures (37.5%), pulmonary infections (37.5%), traumatic (4%), and unknown (21%).