Radiological Evaluation of a Rare Case of Rib Caries and Cold Abscess in a Young Male Patient With Miliary Tuberculosis: A Case Report With Review of Literature

Rib caries with a cold abscess is a rare presentation of tuberculosis (TB) and is tricky to diagnose. It is rarer in young patients, especially in conjunction with active miliary TB. We present one such case of a 23-year-old male patient who presented with swelling over the left lower chest. Rib caries and cold abscess were initially detected by ultrasonography and elastography. The rib involvement and the extent of the cold abscess were further evaluated on a computed tomography scan, which also showed active pulmonary miliary TB. The patient was treated by aspiration of the cold abscess and anti-tuberculosis therapy. The fact that the patient had no history of diabetes, alcoholism, human immunodeficiency virus infection, or immunodeficiency disorder increases the rarity of this case. This case highlights the role of imaging in diagnosing rib caries, cold abscess, and miliary TB.

Exercise‐induced thoracic outlet syndrome and concomitant osteomyelitis in cervical rib with a possible familial origin: A case report

Cervical ribs are rare and usually asymptomatic. Occasionally, they can cause nerve impingements and compressive symptoms. In cervical ribs, osteomyelitis secondary to trauma is unheard of. We report such a case made more interesting by the familial presence of bilateral cervical ribs in two generations, indicating a familial origin.

Multifocal rib osteomyelitis in children: a case report and literature review

Rib osteomyelitis is a rare disease, occurring in ~1% or less of all cases of haematogenous osteomyelitis. During the last century, 58 cases of rib osteomyelitis were reported in the literature, of which, multiple ribs were involved in only five patients. Because of its rarity and non-specific clinical signs, diagnostic of rib osteomyelitis may be delayed. We report a case of multifocal rib osteomyelitis revealed by a dorsal mass in a healthy 13-year-old female child.

Metastatic abscess formation in a preexisting chest wall tumor: a rare initial presentation of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess

The common infectious agents in the chest wall include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Actinomyces, fungi, Nocardia, Entamoeba histolytica, and other aerobes and anaerobes. Klebsiella pneumoniae is an uncommon etiological agent. We describe a case of ankylosing spondylitis in a 45-year-old man, who had exhibited a painless lump in the left posterior chest wall for 3 months and who presented with acute-onset pain, erythematous change, and fever in the 2 weeks before admission. Cultures of the blood and chest wall abscess both showed Gram-negative bacilli, which were classified as K. pneumoniae. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a nonenhancing cystic abscess measuring 4.9 × 6.5 × 6.4 cm in segment 6 of the liver and communicating with the chest wall. Drainage of the liver abscess under ultrasound guidance and open surgical drainage of the chest wall abscess combined with adequate antibiotic treatment resolved the abscess.