CELLULITIS DIAGNOSIS

Cellulitis may be diagnosed and treated by a family doctor, an infectious disease specialist, a doctor who specializes in skin diseases (dermatologist), or in the case of orbital cellulitis, an eye doctor (ophthalmologist). The diagnosis of cellulitis is based mainly on the patient's symptoms. The patient's recent medical history is also used in the diagnosis.

Laboratory tests may be done to determine which kind of bacteria is causing the infection but these tests are not always successful. If the skin injury is visible, a sterile cotton swab is used to pick up a sample from the wound. If there is no obvious skin injury, a needle may be used to inject a small amount of sterile salt solution into the infected skin, and then the solution is withdrawn. The salt solution should pick up some of the bacteria causing the infection. A blood sample may be taken from the patient's arm to see if bacteria have entered the bloodstream. Also, a blood test may be done to count the number of white blood cells in the blood. High numbers of white blood cells suggest that the body is trying to fight a bacterial infection.

For orbital cellulitis, the doctor may often perform a special x-ray scan called computed tomography scan (CT). This scan enables the doctor to see the patient's head in cross-section to determine exactly where the infection is and see if any damage has occurred. A CT scan takes about 20 minutes.