Spontaneous bacterial empyema in a cirrhotic patient due to Clostridium perfringens: case report and review of the literature.

We report a case of a cirrhotic patient who developed a spontaneous bacterial empyema due to Clostridium perfringens. To our knowledge, only two cases of spontaneous bacterial empyema due to C. perfringens in cirrhotic patients were previously reported in literature. It should be suspected in a Child C cirrhotic patient, with a previous history of pleural effusion, fever and dyspnea. It has a fatal outcome as far as it has been described.