Treatment approaches for empyema in children

Empyema is an important cause of childhood morbidity with an increasing worldwide incidence. Despite many treatment options being available, there is no general consensus on the optimal management approach due to conflicting reports and lack of properly conducted studies to challenge the personal bias of a physician or surgeon. The reason for this is likely to be the fact that, irrespective of the treatment children receive, they ultimately make an excellent clinical recovery. This review summarises the current evidence and evaluates the clinical efficacy of various treatment modalities in the context of relevant outcome measures in an attempt to demonstrate the differences in treatment options for the child with empyema.