Differential Diagnosis for Lung Abscess
Due to similar symptoms, a lung abscess may be misdiagnosed with an empyema. Therefore, an important task is to distinguish these two conditions. On imaging tests, an empyema can be seen in the pleural area between chest wall and lungs or outside lungs, while an abscess shows up as a round cavity in the lungs. Some other medical conditions may also lead to cavity inside the lungs. These include fungal infections, lung cancer, pulmonary infarct. necrotizing pneumonia, or granulomas.[9]
