Case report
We were called to consult on a 55-year-old male with acute
myelogenic leukemia (AML), neutropenia, and chronic
kidney disease, who received chemotherapy 3 weeks prior
to being admitted with neutropenic fever. He complained
of perianal pain that began 2 days before admission (4–6
on a pain score). He had no other associated symptoms.
During his admission, he was treated with broad-spectrum
antibiotics as a part of neutropenic fever management
protocol. On the day of consultation, he had a low-grade
Table 1
fever, but all other vital signs were within the normal range. On physical examination, he had no skin discoloration
or redness, but a mild swelling with no evidence of
abscess formation. The scrotum exam was normal with no
swelling or skin changes. The provisional diagnosis was
soft tissue infection; however, pelvic magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) was requested to rule out abscess. The MRI
revealed a small area of fluid collection suspicious of an
abscess and inflammatory changes (Fig. 1). Based on the
pain, tenderness, and the suspicious findings on pelvic
MRI, the patient underwent incision and drainage that
revealed an edematous area with no abscess. A swab culture
was also taken, but with no significant growth was
detected. Postoperative, pain fluctuated for 5–7 days and
then the patient recovered well.
The dilemma was whether this patient required surgery
or could undergo conservative treatment with careful follow-up.
This dilemma was in part due to the fact that he
had neutropenia, a low platelet count, and no evidence of
abscess formation clinically, that in spite of the suspicious
small area of fluid collection on MRI surgery revealed no
abscess. To answer this dilemma, we investigated the literature
looking for solid evidence to justify the management
plan.