Een jongen van 9 met ‘pinpoint’-pijn door pyomyositis

Background

Pyomyositis is a rare bacterial infection of striated muscle, usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Case description

A healthy 9-year-old boy was referred to us because of pain in the hip and fever. We noticed he could point to the pain with one finger; this is referred to as ‘pinpoint pain’. An MRI indicated a diagnosis of pyomyositis of the iliacus muscle and piriformis. The infection was caused by S. aureus. The boy recovered completely and swiftly with antibiotic therapy.

Conclusion

This specific type of pyomyositis in the hip is rare, especially in children. Being able to localise the pain with one finger is a typical characteristic of this condition. MRI is the investigation of first choice to confirm this diagnosis.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.