The prognostic values of soft tissue sonography for adult cellulitis without pus or abscess formation

Abstract The current practice for cellulitis in diagnosis and treatment is mainly based on subjective clinical judgement without validated objective guidance. For patients with non-purulent cellulitis needing intravenous antibiotic treatment in hospital, we found soft tissue sonography performed around 4 days after initiation of antibiotics might have prognostic values. The patients with soft tissue sonographic pattern of subcutaneous thickening alone had shorter duration of antibiotic treatment and higher rate of early treatment response to antibiotics than those with the pattern of cobblestone appearance. Larger-scale research may be warranted to validate the prognostic roles of sonography in cellulitis management.