The Value of Skin Biopsies in Febrile, Neutropenic, Immunocompromised Children

Dermatological manifestations of fungal infection in patients with febrile neutropaenia: A review of the literature

“…We discovered 54 publications with a total of 215 reported cases of cutaneous manifestations of fungal injury in patients with FNP (Table ). Descriptions of all lesions were either cited as described by the presenters of the case, or if such descriptions were lacking, described by the authors herein.…”

Retrospective review of immunocompromised children undergoing skin biopsy for suspected invasive infection: Analysis of factors predictive of invasive mold

“…Although this is one of the largest reports on the outcomes of skin biopsy in immunocompromised children with suspicious skin lesions, it is still small. Nonetheless, the near 50% yield of skin biopsies in this clinical setting is similar to that observed in previous studies and illustrates the importance of having personnel who are trained to perform this procedure . The study population originated from a large children's hospital with a wide variety of immunocompromised individuals.…”

2002 Guidelines for the Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Neutropenic Patients With Cancer

“…Of note, high-resolution CT will reveal evidence of pneumonia in more than one-half of febrile neutropenic patients with normal findings on chest radiographs [17]. Aspiration or biopsy of skin lesions suspected of being infected should be performed for cytologic testing, Gram staining, and culture [18].…”