Empyema necessitatis in an infant: a rare surgical disease

Empyema necessitatis is a rare complication of empyema and is more commonly reported in adults. It is characterized by purulence in the pleural space extending into the overlying soft tissues. We report a rare case in an otherwise healthy 3-month-old girl who presented with right chest wall swelling and was subsequently found to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus empyema necessitatis requiring thoracotomy with decortication.