Imaging of soft tissue infections

Although the signs and symptoms of soft tissue infections often are clinica lly evident, current imaging techniques can provide valuable additional inf ormation in the diagnosis and management planning for these patients. Debri dement of necrotic tissue and drainage of septic fluid collections have bee n the cornerstones of surgical treatment of soft issue infections. Ultrasou nd, CT, scintigraphy, and particularly MR imaging can now be used to demons trate the extent of disease, differentiate viable tissue from necrotic, ass ess for associated conditions such as osteomyelitis or fistula, detect and provide guidance for abscess drainage, and provide additional clues to an e lusive diagnosis. In addition, imaging can play a valuable, if often underu sed, role in monitoring the effectiveness of therapy in treating soft tissu e infections.