Figure 28b. Soft-tissue abscesses in a 33-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus, which was being treated with steroids. The patient presented with shoulder and arm pain, and the steroid dosage was increased to treat the suspected flare of the disease. Anterior (a) and inferior (b) volume-rendered spiral CT images obtained after administration of intravenous contrast material show multiple hypoattenuating, rim-enhancing abscesses in the right arm and chest wall (arrows). These abscesses, which track through the arm musculature, are seen to be interconnected. Group A streptococci were cultured from the abscesses.