Lung abscesses in children: diagnostic and therapeutic needle aspiration

Three children aged 17 months to 17 years developed right-sided peripheral lung abscesses. Clinical signs were fever and cough. Laboratory cultures were negative, and the patients did not respond to appropriate antibiotic coverage. Under fluoroscopic guidance, purulent material was removed from the abscesses by needle aspiration. The patients became afebrile within 24 hours; none suffered complications of bleeding or pneumothorax. Cultures of the aspirate were positive for microorganisms sensitive to the prescribed treatments. A simple aspiration technique is described and proposed as useful for selected patients when surgical drainage is recommended. There was no morbidity in our cases, and recovery from a typically prolonged course was shortened by the procedure.