Editing Abscess (section)

==Diagnosis==
[[File:UOTW 66 - Ultrasound of the Week 1.webm|thumb|Ultrasound showing dark (hypoechoic) area involving skin and subcutaneous tissue with moving internal debris in keeping with abscess<ref>{{cite web|title=UOTW#66 – Ultrasound of the Week|url=https://www.ultrasoundoftheweek.com/uotw-66/|website=Ultrasound of the Week|access-date=27 May 2017|date=7 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102223449/http://www.ultrasoundoftheweek.com/uotw-66/|archive-date=2 November 2016}}</ref>]]

[[File:Ultrasound image of breast 110323101432 1023060.jpg|Ultrasound image showing an  abscess, appearing as a mushroom-shaped dark (hypoechoic) area within the fibroglandular tissue of the breast|thumb]]

An abscess is a localized collection of pus (purulent inflammatory tissue) caused by suppuration buried in a tissue, an organ, or a confined space, lined by the pyogenic membrane.<ref>Robins/8th/68</ref> [[Ultrasound]] imaging can help in a diagnosis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Barbic D, Chenkin J, Cho DD, Jelic T, Scheuermeyer FX | title = In patients presenting to the emergency department with skin and soft tissue infections what is the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care ultrasonography for the diagnosis of abscess compared to the current standard of care? A systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = BMJ Open | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = e013688 | date = January 2017 | pmid = 28073795 | pmc = 5253602 | doi = 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013688 }}</ref>

===Classification===
Abscesses may be classified as either ''skin abscesses'' or ''internal abscesses''. Skin abscesses are common; internal abscesses tend to be harder to diagnose, and more serious.<ref name="NHS_abscess">{{cite web | publisher = United Kingdom National Health Service | url = http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abscess/Pages/Introduction.aspx | title = Abscess | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141030070952/http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abscess/Pages/Introduction.aspx | archive-date=2014-10-30 }}</ref> Skin abscesses are also called cutaneous or subcutaneous abscesses.<ref name="Medline_abscess">{{cite web | website = Medline Plus | url = https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001353.htm | title = Abscess | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160407011259/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001353.htm |archive-date=2016-04-07 }}</ref>

===IV drug use===
For those with a history of intravenous drug use, an [[X-ray]] is recommended before treatment to verify that no needle fragments are present.<ref name=Kha2008/> If there is also a fever present in this population, [[infectious endocarditis]] should be considered.<ref name=Kha2008/>

===Differential===
Abscesses should be differentiated from [[empyema]]s, which are accumulations of pus in a preexisting, rather than a newly formed, anatomical cavity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaillard |first=Frank |title=Abscess {{!}} Radiology Reference Article {{!}} Radiopaedia.org |url=https://radiopaedia.org/articles/abscess?lang=us |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Radiopaedia |language=en-US |doi=10.53347/rid-6723}}</ref>

Other conditions that can cause similar symptoms include: [[cellulitis]], a [[sebaceous cyst]], and [[necrotising fasciitis]].<ref name=Rosen2014Chp137/> Cellulitis typically also has an erythematous reaction, but does not confer any purulent drainage.<ref name="Duff2009"/>