Tuberc Respir Dis.  1981 Dec;28(4):164-170. 10.4046/trd.1981.28.4.164.

A Clinical Observation on 109 Cases of Lung Abscess

• KMID: 2528846
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1981.28.4.164

Abstract

A clinical study was made of 109 cases of lung abscess who were treated as in-patients at the Chonju Presbyterian Medical Center in past 10 years, from January 1970 to December 1979. The results were as follows; 1. The ratio of male to female was 5.5 : 1. Most patients were in the age group between -the third and fifth decades (60%). 2. The seasonal incidence in order of occurence was summer, winter, faIl, and spring. 3. The most frequent location of lung abscess was right upper lobe (24.8%). The right ]ower lobe (21. 1%), left upper lobe (1 9.2%), left lower lobe (16.5%), and right middle lobe (11. 9%) were common sites in order of frequency. MuItiple abscess was found in 7 cases. 4. The commom clinical manifestations were cough, purulent sputum, fever and chiII, chest pain, hemoptysis, and dyspnea in order of frequency. 5. The most commom predisposing factor of lung abscess was pneumonia (49.5%). Pulmonary -tuberculosis (1 2.8%), aspiration (4.6%), and bronchiectasis (3.7%) were found in order of frequency, and in 21.1% of cases, etiologic factor was uncertain. 6. Bacteriologic studies of the sputum culture showed alpha-Streþtococcus(34.8%), Klebsiella (13.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.4%), and Enterobacter (5.5%) in order of frequency. 7. Most of the lung abscess cavities measured from 1 to 4cm in diameter (68.8%), and the cavities lesser than 1cm in diameter or larger than 6cm in diameter were quite rare. 8. There was no specific relationship between leukocytosis on admission and the prognosis of the disease. 9. The major causes of medical treatment failure were due to underlying lung diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, bronchogenic cyst and lung cancer.