Objective: The purpose of this case report is to describe the presentation of cellulitis in a 16-month-old boy to a chiropractic clinic.
Clinical Features: The patient presented with nontraumatic, sudden onset of nonpurulent erythema on the right knee. A plain film radiograph of the knee showed a 40-mm thickening of the anterior knee. A diagnosis of cellulitis was rendered based on the presentation of the rapidly spreading erythema and radiographically confirmed findings.
Intervention and Outcome: The patient was immediately referred to the local emergency room. The patient was hospitalized, treated with clindamycin and amoxicillin for 3 days, and then discharged. The patient’s pediatrician discontinued clindamycin treatment at the posthospitalization follow-up. Two weeks after treatment was discontinued, the patient was diagnosed with recurrent cellulitis.
Conclusion: This case demonstrated that for this young patient with cellulitis of the knee, timely recognition and referral, together with patient or parent education and immediate treatment, were essential to a successful outcome.
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