Surgery of Kerion: A Nightmare for Nondermatologists

The document reports a case where a 10-year-old child with kerion, an inflammatory type of fungal infection (tinea capitis) that causes swelling and hair loss, was mistakenly diagnosed and treated as a bacterial abscess. This misdiagnosis led to an unnecessary surgical incision. The correct diagnosis was later made based on the clinical appearance and a potassium hydroxide wet mount test. The child's condition was successfully treated with the antifungal medication griseofulvin, but the delay in proper treatment resulted in permanent scarring alopecia. The case highlights the importance of considering tinea capitis in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory scalp lesions to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment that can lead to permanent hair loss.