Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.
2006 Mar;16(1):71-78.
Two Cases of Community Acquired Necrotizing Pneumonia in Healthy Children
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pediatircs, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. jslee@catholic.ac.kr
Abstract
- Necrotizing pneumonia is a complication of severe, sometimes fatal, lobar pneumonia that leads to extensive necrosis of lung parenchyme. The plain chest X-ray shows many small lucencies and pneumatoceles while the chest CT demonstrates cavities, that do not show contrast enhancement. Major bacteriae that cause necrotizing pneumonia are anaerobes in immune deficient patients and nosocomial infections, and Streptococcus pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children of healthy environments. Cases of necrotizing pneumonia in children, unlike those observed in adults, show less need for invasive surgery and lead to a favorable outcome once an early diagnosis is made and a course of appropriate antibiotics is initiated. Empirical antibiotic treatment is important because the specific causative agent may not be found. We report two cases of successful treatment of healthy children who had lung abscesses combined with extensive necrotizing pneumonia.
