Acute Horseshoe Abscess of the Hand after Local Steroid Injection: A Case Report

Kim,  Young Jun; Kang,  Chang Min; Lee,  Hyun Ho; Chung,  Duke Whan

doi:2015.20.4.186

Arch Hand Microsurg > Volume 20(4); 2015 > Article

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand 2015;20(4):186-192.
Published online December 30, 2015.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12790/jkssh.2015.20.4.186

Acute Horseshoe Abscess of the Hand after Local Steroid Injection: A Case Report

Young Jun Kim, Chang Min Kang, Hyun Ho Lee, Duke Whan Chung

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dukech@khmc.or.kr

Received: 17 July 2015 • Revised: 15 September 2015 • Accepted: 21 September 2015

Abstract

The differential diagnosis of hand infections is difficult because hand infections can manifest with variable clinical presentations due to the unique anatomic structures of the hand, and the significance of these infections is often overlooked. A horseshoe abscess is a rare type of deep space infection that can occur due to extension of infection through communications between the deep spaces of the hand. Although horseshoe abscesses are well known due to their anatomic characteristics, there are few clinical reports of such occurrences. Such a case has not been reported in the Korean literature. Here we report a case of horseshoe abscess of the hand after local steroid injection.