Pyogenic liver abscess complicated by endogenous endophthalmitis

Background: Endogenous endophthalmitis is an inflammation of ocular tissues that can lead to deterioration of and loss of vision. Rarely, this can complicate the course of a patient with pyogenic liver abscess. Methods: Over an 18‐month period, 68 patients were treated for pyogenic liver abscesses. Three patients, all of whom were male and with diabetes, were diagnosed with a Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess complicated by endogenous endophthalmitis. Open surgical or percutaneous drainage of the liver abscess was undertaken and the symptomology and outcome of the endophthalmitis reviewed. Results: There was no mortality in our series. Two patients presented with simultaneous abdominal and ocular symptoms and one patient had ocular symptoms 3 days after surgical drainage of the liver abscess. Despite aggressive treatment, all patients had permanent deterioration of visual function with one patient becoming blind and requiring evisceration of the infected eye. Conclusion: Ocular symptoms in patients treated for pyogenic abscesses must be dealt with urgently with an ophthalmologic consultation. Increased awareness of this complication and a high index of suspicion are paramount for salvage of visual function.     

Staphylococcal liver abscess and acute cholecystitis in a patient with Crohn’s disease receiving infiiximab

We present an unusual case of empyema of the gallbladder associated with a pyogenic liver abscess in a patient with Crohn’s disease on Infiiximab. It manifested by weakness, weight loss, and vague abdominal pain, which eventually localized to the right upper quadrant 4 days prior to admission. Diagnostic evaluation, which included ultrasonography and computed tomography, revealed cholelithiasis, gallbladder wall thickening, and a low-attenuation, complex mass in the left hepatic lobe. Cholecystectomy and open drainage of the liver abscess were successfully performed. There are few reports of intrahepatic abscess associated with Crohn’s disease. The relationship between acute cholecystitis and Crohn’s disease has also been documented. However, this report documents the unusual complication of pyogenic liver abscess secondary to acute cholecystitis in the unique population of Crohn’s disease patients on Infiiximab.     

单发及多发细菌性肝脓肿临床资料的对比分析

摘要：目的:探讨单发及多发肝脓肿的临床特点及诊治方法。方法:回顾性分析近25年间收治的148例细菌性肝脓肿患者的临床资料，按单发及多发性肝脓肿分组，比较两组临床特征、治疗方法及预后。结果:胆源性在多发性肝脓肿组的比例明显高于单发组（P=0.018），平均年龄、就诊时间及住院天数多发性肝脓肿组也明显高于单发组(P=0.023,0.043，0.015)。多发性肝脓肿患者的碱性磷酸酶水平较高（P=0.021）， 血清白（清）蛋白水平较低（P=0.039）。单发肝脓肿最常见部位在肝右叶(P=0.002)，而多发性肝脓肿更易累及左右两叶(P<0.001)。大肠杆菌是两种肝脓肿最常见的致病菌。单纯抗生素治疗多用于多发脓肿的患者（P=0.022），经皮穿刺置管引流则多用于单发性肝脓肿（P=0.021）。多发性肝脓肿患者发生急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）的比例较高（P=0.03）。肝脓肿相关的病死率在多发性肝脓肿患者中明显为高（P=0.025）。结论:与单发性肝脓肿相比，多发性肝脓肿病例具有年龄较大、症状持续时间较长、常合并胆道疾病、脓肿多侵及肝脏两叶、容易发生ARDS和病死率较高的特点，治疗多采用手术和/或单纯抗生素治疗。     

Gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess —A case report and review of the literature—

The incidence of gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess is exceedingly rare. We report herein, a case of a 36 year-old Japanese woman with a gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess associated with diabetes mellitus and cholelithiasis. An abdominal plain X-ray film, which showed a fine air-fluid level in the liver at an up-right position, enabled us to easily diagnosed a gas-containing liver abscess. Echo-guide percutaneous drain-age revealed the organism to beEscherichia coli, however, although this treatment has recently been employed often in the treatment of pyogenic liver abscesses, especially single abscesses, it did not prove effective in this case. We finally cured the gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess by operative drainage.     

肝移植术后内源性真菌性眼内炎附一例报告和文献回顾

目的探讨肝移植术后并发内源性真菌性眼内炎的临床特征。方法分析1例肝移植术后并发内源性真菌性眼内炎患者的临床资料,回顾相关文献。结果肝移植术后并发内源性真菌性眼内炎较少见,该例为我院超过300例肝移植患者中仅有的1例;早期诊断困难,早期手术,取材病理活检对诊断和治疗有帮助。全身抗真菌治疗注意肝损害。结论肝移植术后并发内源性真菌性眼内炎早期诊断困难,可考虑及早手术治疗,但视功能预后不良。     

Septic shock associated with pyogenic liver abscess rescued with percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage

We report a case of septic shock associated with pyogenic liver abscess rescued with percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage (PTAD). A 70-year-old male patient was admitted to our outpatient department of internal medicine with general fatigue, dullness of bilateral shoulders and extremities, appetite loss, weight loss, headache, and vertigo. Laboratory tests showed severe inflammatory indications, anemia, and high values of hepatobiliary enzymes and blood sugar. Abdominal ultrasonography and enhanced CT showed a pyogenic liver abscess of 10 cm in diameter at S 6-7 in the right hepatic lobe. The patient's condition deteriorated suddenly that night. From the results of abdominal ultrasonography and enhanced CT, we made diagnosis of septic shock associated with pyogenic liver abscess. Emergency abdominal ultrasound-guided PTAD was performed under local anesthetic. Postoperatively, the antibiotic was infused daily through a PTAD tube into the liver abscess space. He recovered and his laboratory tests improved gradually. On abdominal ultrasonography and enhanced CT, the liver abscess disappeared by 19th postoperative day, and PTAD tube was removed. There was no complication during PTAD treatment. We conclude that patients in septic shock should undergo further examinations immediately and treatment of the infected tissue should be started as soon as possible. PTAD may be an additional effective procedure for pyogenic liver abscess in septic shock. Furthermore, local antibiotic lavage through a PTAD tube into the liver abscess space may be an important supplementary method in the management of the illness.     

Management of liver abscess

Thirteen patients with amebic liver abscess and 26 with pyogenic abscess were identified during a 10 year period. All but one patient with an amebic abscess had emigrated or traveled to areas where amebiasis was endemic. Half of the patients in whom pyogenic abscesses developed had debilitating disease and anemia. Factors predisposing to multiple rather than solitary hepatic abscess were biliary tract disease before surgery, cancer, chemotherapy, steroid administration and alcoholism. Elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase and hypoalbuminemia were present in most patients. Three patients with amebic abscess died, two of whom has massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage from associated amebic colitis. No patient with a solitary pyogenic liver abscess died. Fifteen of 16 patients with multiple liver abscesses died. Failure to consider the diagnosis of liver abscess, confusion over interpretation of the scan, failure to operate or provide a timely operation and failure to adequately explore the abdomen or identify all abscesses were factors responsible for eight unnecessary deaths.     

Microwave ablation of liver metastasis complicated by Clostridium perfringens gas-forming pyogenic liver abscess (GPLA) in a patient with past gastrectomy

IntroductionGas-forming pyogenic liver abscess (GPLA) caused by C. perfringens is rare but fatal. Patients with past gastrectomy may be prone to such infection post-ablation.Presentation of caseAn 84-year-old male patient with past gastrectomy had MW ablation of his liver tumors complicated by GPLA. Computerised tomography scan showed gas-containing abscess in the liver and he was managed successfully with antibiotic and percutaneous drainage of the abscess.DiscussionC. perfringens GPLA secondary to MW ablation in a patient with previous gastrectomy has not been reported in the literature. Gastrectomy may predispose to such infection. Even in high-risk patients, empirical antibiotic before ablation is not a standard of practice. Therefore following the procedure, close observation of patients’ conditions is necessary to allow early diagnosis and intervention that will prevent progression of infection.ConclusionPotential complication of liver abscess following MW ablation can never be overlooked. The risk may be enhanced in patients with previous gastrectomy. Early diagnosis and management may minimise mortality and morbidity.     

Pyogenic hepatic abscess after pancreatic resection for chronic pancreatitis.

Seventeen patients underwent surgery for alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis. Three patients later presented with pyogenic liver abscess. The time interval between surgery and presentation with hepatic abscess varied from 6 weeks to 3.5 years. All patients were diabetic, the presentation was insidious and all made an uneventful recovery, two with percutaneous drainage and one with antibiotics alone. The aetiology of this uncommon complication is discussed.     

Management of pyogenic liver abscess in the era of computed tomography

The advent of high-resolution imaging has allowed earlier diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess. Because radiologically guided percutaneous drainage (PCD) of liver abscesses is controversial, the authors studied 40 patients with liver abscess admitted to the Toronto Hospital between 1982 and 1987 to determine the role of PCD versus operative drainage (OD). The diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess was made at autopsy (4 patients), at laparotomy (6) or by radiologically guided aspiration of pus (30). Ultrasonography and computed tomography were highly sensitive (85% and 96% respectively) in detecting liver abscess. Of the 36 patients treated for liver abscess all received antibiotics intravenously; 31 also underwent a drainage procedure. Treatment with antibiotics alone was associated with a success rate of 80% and a death rate of 20%. The success rate for those who had PCD was 75% with a death rate of 13%; 2 patients in this group of 16 subsequently required OD for cure. In the 15 patients initially treated with OD, success and death rates were 87% and 13% respectively. For solitary abscesses, success rates wer comparable for PCD and OD (86% and 90% respectively). For unilobar multiple abscesses the success rate was 100% for both PCD and OD, but for bilobar multiple abscesses the rates were only 40% and 67% respectively. Complication rates were similar for both methods of drainage. The authors conclude that pyogenic liver abscess can now be safely and efficaciously managed with a combination of antibiotics and PCD.     

Liver abscesses

Clinical suspicion of a liver abscess mandates an investigation of the liver for evidence of a liver abscess by radionuclide, ultrasound, or CT scan. Amebic abscesses have a lower mortality rate than pyogenic abscesses. Amebic and pyogenic abscesses can be distinguished on the basis of epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory studies. The definitive studies for identifying amebic liver abscesses are hemagglutinin or gel diffusion studies. Amebic abscess of the liver may be complicated by extension to the lung, with pulmonary complications. Patients suspected to have amebic abscesses require metronidazole. Emetine or chloroquine may be added if there is no response or if the abscess recurs. Unless there is a failure of the amebic abscess to resolve or secondary infection occurs, there is seldom a need to aspirate or drain these abscesses. Pyogenic abscesses should be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics to cover gram-negative aerobes and anaerobic organisms. All pyogenic abscesses larger than 1.5 cm in diameter should be aspirated, and the aspirate should be Gram stained and cultured. Percutaneous or surgical drainage should then be performed. Operative intervention is required in those patients with intra-abdominal pyogenic infections that are seeding the liver abscess. The marked reduction in the mortality rate of pyogenic liver abscess witnessed in this decade is multifaceted and attributable in part to earlier diagnosis, permitting definitive treatment in a timely fashion, as well as to improved intensive unit care, antibiotic management, and operative technique.     

Visual prognosis in bacterial endophthalmitis treated with intravitreal antibiotics.

Eleven of 16 cases of human culture-proved endophthalmitis have been successfully treated with the intravitreal administration of 400 micrograms of gentamicin sulfate and 360 micrograms of dexamethasone with concomitant use of systemic antibiotics and prednisone. Seven of the 16 eyes (44%) had final visual acuity of 20/400 or better. Four additional eyes had residual useful vision after treatment. The visual prognosis in these cases is directly related to the exotoxin and proteolytic enzyme activity of the organisms. Delay of more than 36 hours between onset of symptoms and intravitreal treatment adversely affects the visual outcome. If a highly virulent organism has been isolated or if treatment has been delayed, vitrectomy to treat acute endophthalmitis is indicated. The comparatively high rate of recovery in this series is probably related to the high dose of intravitreal gentamicin utilized and the concomitant intraocular use of dexamethasone.     

Experience with liver abscess

One hundred ninety-two liver abscesses in 190 patients were treated: 109 by needle aspiration, and 83 by operation. Mortality and complication rates were lower in the aspiration group, and the average hospital stay was shorter. This was true for both pyogenic and sterile abscesses, the latter being presumed to be amebic, although trophozoites were recovered from liver pus in only two patients. Patients with pyogenic abscess were, on the average, considerably younger than patients with the condition in the United States for reasons that are not immediately apparent. The preponderance of amebic abscesses found in men is less than usual, again for reasons that are not clear. Both pyogenic and amebic abscesses were commonly associated with fever, chills, and tenderness and pain in the right upper abdomen and hepatomegaly on physical examination. We found metronidazole effective in the treatment of both pyogenic and amebic abscesses.     

Endogenous Aspergillus Endophthalmitis Occurring After Liver Transplantation: A Case Report

Endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis (AE) is a rare complication of invasive aspergillosis in transplant patients. In this report, we have described a patient who underwent liver transplantation because of drug-induced cholestatic cirrhosis and developed AE at 2 weeks after the surgery. The patient was a 22-year-old man who received a right liver lobe from his father. The operation was uneventful but the patient developed signs and symptoms of small-for-size syndrome after the second day of surgery. The patient received intense immunosuppression with methylprednisolone for 3 days, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil from the first day after the operation, with ceftriaxone and metronidazole as prophylactic antibiotics. Because of signs of respiratory distress with pneumonia, vancomycin and amphotericin B were added empirically to his regimen. Polymerase chain reaction for aspergillus DNA in the blood was positive. The patient received one course of methylprednisolone pulse therapy for signs of acute rejection at day 10, and tacrolimus was changed to sirolimus because of a rising serum creatinine and convulsions. After 2 weeks, the patient's symptoms improved and liver function tests were normal, but the complained of sudden intense pain in the left eye with unilateral blurred vision, redness, and other signs of endophthalmitis upon examination by an ophthalmologists. After 24 hours, visual acuity decreased to light perception. AE was confirmed by microscopy and culture of the vitreous fluid and retinal biopsy. Despite changing amphotericin to intravitreal injection of voriconazole followed by intravenous voriconazole and transient resolution of the symptoms, no improvement was seen in visual acuity. Pain and signs of inflammation in the eye recurred after 2 weeks. At last the patient underwent enucleation for resistant infection and fear of involvement of the other eye by aspergillosis or sympathetic ophthalmia.     

Pyogenic liver abscess: Changing patterns in approach

AIM: To define optimum management of the pyogenic liver abscess and assess new trends in treatment.METHODS: One hundred and sixty nine patients with pyogenic liver abscess managed at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Kashmir (India) from July 2001 to August 2006 were studied to evaluate and define the optimum treatment.RESULTS: Mortality in the surgically treated group of patients was 9.4% (12/119), while those treated non-surgically had a fatality rate of 16.66% (7/42). Multiple liver abscesses treated surgically had a surprisingly low mortality of 30%. The biliary tract (64.97%) was the most common cause of liver abscess. Multiple abscesses, mixed organisms and abscess complications are all associated with a significantly increased mortality. However, the lethality of the primary disease process was the most important factor in determining survival.CONCLUSION: Transperitoneal surgical drainage and antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment. Percutaneous drainage is recommended for high risk patients only.     

Liver abscess: a clinicopathological analysis of 82 cases

Liver abscesses are a common pathology in India, but a strategy for effective treatment has not been established. Eighty-two patients with liver abscess were studied over a 4-year period. Clinical features, ultrasound findings, laboratory studies, and outcome of therapy were evaluated. Treatment options were antibiotics alone, needle aspiration, catheter drainage, or open surgical drainage; 51.2% of all abscesses were amebic, 23.2% were pyogenic, and 25.6% had unknown causes. A total of 75.6% of the abscesses were solitary, with 62.2% confined to the right lobe. Pyogenic abscesses were more likely to have anemia, leukocytosis, and deranged liver function. Amebic abscesses tended to have a larger volume. Patients undergoing catheter drainage showed a more rapid reduction in initial abscess volume, whereas resolution of the abscess cavity took longer with antibiotic therapy alone. Ultrasound-guided needle aspiration and catheter drainage are safe and effective in the management of liver abscess. Drug therapy alone may be useful only in select cases.     

Audit of management of pyogenic liver abscess in a tertiary referral hospital

Aim: To review the management and clinical outcomes of patients with pyogenic liver abscess in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective review of the management of patients with a diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess in Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 2000 to 2004. Results: From 2000 to 2004, 143 patients with a diagnosis of pyogenic liver abscess were managed in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Procedure‐related complications were 6/143 (4%). The success rate from percutaneous intervention was 122/143 (85%). The overall in‐hospital mortality was 18/143 (13%). Mean hospital stay was 30.1 days and the median was 23 days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis on risk factors for in‐hospital mortality showed high white cell count, large size abscess and prolonged activated prothrombin time as independent risk factors. Conclusion: In the present series, high white cell count, large size abscess and prolonged activated prothrombin time predicted poor outcomes in patients with pyogenic liver abscess.     

Ascaris-induced Liver Abscess

The prevalence, symptomatology, and outcome of Ascaris-induced liver abscess was studied prospectively in Kashmir, India, which is an endemic area of ascariasis, from December 1987 to December 1997. Of 510 patients with liver abscess admitted during this period, 74 had biliary ascariasis as the cause (14.51%). Of these 74 patients, 11 had intact ascaridae (live or dead) within the abscess. Six patients had a single abscess, and five had multiple abscesses. Seven patients had associated worms in the bile ducts. Ultrasonography was the main diagnostic procedure used. Ten patients were diagnosed based on clinical and ultrasound findings, and one was diagnosed during laparotomy. Most of the patients were young (age range 3–40 years) with a mean age of 17.20 years. Seven were females, and four were males. Ten patients underwent surgery; nine recovered completely, and one died postoperatively due to septicemia. Another patient died as well: a young child who presented late, was in refractory septic shock following suppurative cholangitis and liver abscess, and could not be taken for surgery. The mortality thus was 9.9%. Liver abscess following invasion of intrahepatic biliary radicles by ascaridae through the ampulla is an unusual complication of an otherwise common disease in Kashmir Valley, affecting children and young adults. The outcome depends on early diagnosis and surgical drainage of the abscess with extraction of worms from the ducts.     

Multiloculated pyogenic brain abscess: experience in 25 patients

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience in treating multiloculated pyogenic brain abscess and determine whether there are differences in the bacteriology, predisposing factors, treatment choices, and outcomes between multiloculated and uniloculated brain abscesses. METHODS: We studied clinical data collected during a 16-year period from 124 patients with pyogenic brain abscess, including 25 cases of multiloculated abscess. RESULTS: The incidence of multiloculated brain abscess was 20%. In these 25 patients, hematogenous spread from a remote infectious focus was the most common cause of infection, as it was for the cases of uniloculated abscess. Headache and hemiparesis were the most common symptoms in patients with multiloculated abscess. In patients with uniloculated abscess, fever was the most common symptom. Viridans streptococci were the most commonly isolated pathogens. Bacteroides fragilis was the most common anaerobe in multiloculated abscess, and aerobic gram-negative bacilli were the most common pathogens in patients with uniloculated abscess. Of the patients with multiloculated abscess, 21 were treated surgically and 4 were treated with antibiotics only. Overall, eight patients (38%) needed another operation because of abscess recurrence after the initial operation. In uniloculated abscess, the rate of abscess recurrence after initial surgery was 13.1%. Mortality was 16% in multiloculated abscess and 17.1% in uniloculated abscess. CONCLUSION: Multiloculated abscesses accounted for 20% of our patients with pyogenic brain abscess. Excision seems to be the more appropriate surgical choice in multiloculated abscess. Prognosis for patients with multiloculated abscess can be as good as that for patients with uniloculated abscess. However, clinicians must carefully monitor these patients because the possibility of recurrence after surgery is significantly higher in patients with multiloculated abscess than in those with uniloculated abscess.