Dermatologists frequently are consulted in the evaluation and management of the patient with cellulitic-appearing skin. For routine cellulitis, the clinical presentation and patient symptoms are usually sufficient for an accurate diagnosis. However, when the clinical presentation is somewhat atypical, or if the patient fails to respond to appropriate therapy for cellulitis because of routine bacterial pathogens, the differential diagnosis should be rapidly expanded. We discuss the approach to the patient with presumed cellulitis, with an emphasis on the differential diagnosis of cellulitis in both the immunocompetent and immunucompromised patient.

Semin Cutan Med Surg 26:168-178 © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dermatologists frequently are consulted in the evaluation and management of the patient with cellulitic-appearing skin. Although the dermatologist may be consulted early on in the patient’s course, more often a dermatology consult is requested when a patient fails to respond to treatment.