Pyogenic and amebic liver abscesses

Pyogenic and amebic liver abscesses are the two most common hepatic abscesses. Amebic abscesses are more common in areas where Entamoeba histolytica is endemic, whereas pyogenic abscesses are more common in developed countries. Pyogenic abscess severity is dependent on the bacterial source and the underlying condition of the patient. Amebic liver abscess is more prevalent in individuals with suppressed cell-mediated immunity, men, and younger people. The right lobe of the liver is the most likely site of infection in both types of hepatic abscess. Patients usually present with a combination of fever, right-upper-quadrant abdominal pain, and hepatomegaly. Jaundice is more common in the pyogenic abscess. The diagnosis is often delayed and is usually made through a combination of radiologic imaging and microbiologic, serologic, and percutaneous techniques. Treatment involves antibiotics along with percutaneous drainage or surgery.     

A recurrent case of amebic liver abscess seventeen years after the first occurrence

A 49-year-old male who had been diagnosed as having amebic liver abscess when he was 32-year-old was admitted to our hospital with fever and watery diarrhea. Ultrasonography and CT examination demonstrated a solitary abscess in the right lobe of the liver. Cysts of Entamoeba histolytica were detected in the stool and an aspiration of the liver abscess looked like anchovy paste. Serum amebic antibody by the IFA method was positive and the case was diagnosed as amebic liver abscess. The patient was treated with metronidazole, and percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage was performed. The liver abscess decreased remarkably in size and serum amebic antibody was negative after the treatment. Recurrence of amebic liver abscess is rare and we report this case with some literature.     

Hepatogastric fistula after chemoembolization of liver metastasis: a case report

Liver metastases of colorectal cancer are a challenge in current oncology. Less than 5% of untreated patients are alive after 5 years of diagnosis. The only curative treatment is surgical resection, but there are other options for palliative or neoadjuvant treatment such as transarterial chemoembolization. Serious complications after liver chemoembolization are very rare, and one of the possible complications is a liver abscess. We report a case of hepatogastric fistula caused by a liver abscess ten days after the chemoembolization of a liver metastasis. It was treated surgically with left hepatectomy and parcial gastrectomy, with good outcome. There are only a few reported cases of hepatogastric fistula after liver transarterial chemoembolization.     

Pathophysiology of jaundice in amoebic liver abscess

Jaundice in patients with amoebic liver abscess is a frequent occurrence. However, the pathophysiology of jaundice in these patients is not fully understood. Hepatic necrosis leads to damage to bile ducts as well as various vascular structures, which in turn leads to biliovascular fistula and jaundice. We studied the mechanism of jaundice in patients with amoebic liver abscess. We prospectively evaluated 12 patients with amoebic liver abscess and jaundice from February 2002 to August 2007. All patients underwent various investigations, including imaging studies. There were 11 males and 1 female patient with a mean age of 41.3 years. Mean duration of illness before presentation was 13.8 days. All patients had fever and jaundice. We detected damaged hepatic veins and bile ducts in all patients with amoebic liver abscess causing biliovascular fistula and hyperbilirubinemia, which reverted to normal after biliary diversion with nasobiliary drainage. Jaundice in patients with amoebic liver abscess is caused by biliovascular fistula resulting from hepatic necrosis leading to damage to bile ducts and hepatic veins.     

A case of amebic liver abscess complicated by hemobilia due to rupture of hepatic artery aneurysm

We report the case of a 51-year-old man with hepatic amebic abscess complicated by hepatic artery aneurysm. The patient first presented with peritonitis caused by perforating appendicitis. Surgical treatment resolved peritonitis but Entamoeba histolytica was detected in the colonic mucosa. Subsequently, liver abscess developed and the size of the abscess increased gradually after surgery in spite of continued treatment with metronidazole. Brown pus was drained from the abscess but 13 days after the drainage process the patient complained of right upper abdominal pain and the drained fluid became blood-colored and stool became tarry in color. Enhanced computed tomography showed a hepatic artery aneurysm that had ruptured into the liver abscess and duodenoscopy revealed bleeding from the ampulla of Vater. Transcatheter arterial embolization with several steel coils was successfully performed which resulted in cessation of bleeding from the ampulla of Vater. The patient was discharged without any complications five weeks after rupture of the aneurysm. Our case demonstrates rupture of the hepatic artery aneurysm as a rare complication of amebic liver abscess and the effectiveness of interventional embolotherapy in this condition.     

A case of hepaticoduodenal fistula development after transarterial chemoembolization in patient with hepatocellular carcinoma

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is recommended as one of the first line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Rupture of HCC following TACE is a rare and potentially fatal complication. We report a case of hepaticoduodenal fistula with ruptured HCC and liver abscess complicated by TACE. A 52-year-old male was treated by TACE three times, followed by radiation therapy and systemic chemotherapy. 30 days after the last TACE, right upper quadrant pain of abdomen was developed. About 1 month later, computed tomography of abdomen showed ruptured HCC with debris containing liver abscess and hepaticoduodenal fistula. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed hepaticoduodenal fistula and hepatic parenchyme covered with exudate. The patient was managed with supportive care, but the hepaticoduodenal fistula persisted. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2011;58:149-152).     

肾移植术后引起疑似阿米巴肝脓肿的诊治体会

一例肾移植术后患者出现发热、右上腹痛、果酱样便、肝脓肿,明确诊断后,给予抗阿米巴治疗、脓肿穿刺引流及脓腔冲洗,观察患者预后。治疗26d后患者体温完全降至正常,脓肿逐渐缩小。及时诊断、避免误诊。是提高移植术后阿米巴感染治疗成功率的关键。     

The clinical pattern and prognosis of patients with amebic liver abscess and jaundice

Jaundice was found in 27 of 95 patients with amebic liver abscess hospitalized over a 5-year period. Serum bilirubin levels ranged from 2 to 31 mg/100 ml. The conjugated fraction was invariably predominant. Patients with jaundice had on the average a shorter duration of illness at admission, more frequent error in their initial clinical diagnosis, a higher incidence of complications, and a higher mortality rate when compared to patients without jaundice. At necropsy these patients demonstrated abscesses that were either on the inferior surface of the liver where main bile duct tributaries emerge or were of such a dimension as to compress this region. It is concluded that jaundice is of cholestatic origin due to compression or destruction of main intrahepatic biliary channels. The importance of recognizing its not infrequent occurrence, an early diagnosis, and effective aspiration in patients with amebic liver abscess and jaundice is highlighted.Part of this work was carried out with a grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research.     

Amebic liver abscess in an elderly AIDS patient

An elderly bisexual male AIDS patient, whose CD4 cell count was 128/mm3 and HIV-RNA was 3.0x10(5) copies/ml, was admitted because of amebic liver abscess and poor nutritional condition. He was treated with daily doses of 1,500 mg of metronidazole for 14 days for amebic liver abscess and with anti-HIV drugs; good therapeutic results were observed. Our study indicates that amebic liver abscess is easily treated by appropriate administration of metronidazole even in an old AIDS patient receiving anti-HIV drugs with low CD4 cell counts and high HIV-RNA values.     

Nonresolution of an amebic liver abscess after parasitologic cure

A 43-year-old Filipino male was admitted to a Manila hospital with a 1 month history of epigastric pain and fever, and was found to have a palpable epigastric mass. Computerized tomography revealed a large hepatic abscess which serologically was shown to be amebic. Chemotherapy resulted in clinical cure and an initial reduction in size of the liver abscess. However, resolution of the abscess cavity did not occur, and on closed needle aspiration, 80 cc of characteristic amebic pus was recovered. Parasitological cure without complete repair of the abscess cavity itself raises questions concerning the potential danger of clinically silent residua and the role of therapeutic aspiration in the management of amebic liver abscesses.     

阿米巴肝脓肿的诊断与治疗--附36例报告

目的分析阿米巴肝脓肿的临床特点、诊治及转归情况.方法采用回顾性方法对36例阿米巴肝脓肿患者的临床资料进行分析.结果患者的主要临床表现为上腹痛(86.1%)、发热(86.1%)、肝肿大伴触痛(83.3%)和右肋间压痛(58.3%).实验室检查可见外周血白细胞升高(61.1%)、血沉增快(88.5%)等.92.6%的患者血阿米巴抗体阳性.超声检查示75%为单个脓肿、75%为右叶肝脓肿.所有患者均者用甲硝唑治疗,其中27例患者还同时进行肝脓肿穿刺引流.经治疗后,痊愈10例,显效25例,总有效率97.2%.有1例患者死于肝功能衰竭.结论单用药物治疗对于小肝脓肿疗效好,如肝脓肿较大可同时行脓肿穿刺引流.     

A ten-year review of amebic abscess of the liver: 1956–1966

Summary A 10-year review of 17 patients with amebic abscess of the liver is presented. In our patients, a clinical picture occurred consistently enough to make one strongly suspect amebic liver abscess. Usually, the patient was a male with a 2- to 4-month history of weight loss, and right pleuritic or right upper quadrant pain. During examination, fever, signs of a right pleural effusion, and a large tender liver were found. Once a diagnosis is suspected, definitive steps should be taken to demonstrate an abscess, since this potentially fatal disease is curable.Supported by Grant 5T01 AM 05304 06 from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service.We wish to thank the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta for performing the hemagglutination tests.Drs. Cain and Moore are National Institutes of Health Training Fellows.     

Hématome sous-capsulaire du foie spontané idiopathique: à propos d’un cas

The idiopathic spontaneous sub capsular hematoma of the liver is very rare; we found only two similar cases in the literature, most cases of liver hematoma reported occur during pregnancy often as part of HELLP syndrome. In fact, our understanding of this condition was mainly based on obstetric literature. We report the case of a 45-year-old man without pathological history, admitted to emergency for pain in right hypochondria and fever, sub capsular hematoma of the liver was diagnosed by ultrasound and abdominal scan, after a biological and histological study of liver, no etiology was found.     

阿米巴肝脓肿36例临床分析

[目的 ]分析阿米巴肝脓肿的临床特点、误诊情况和内外科治疗对患者预后的影响。 [方法 ]采用回顾性调查方法 ,分析 1982年 9月～ 1997年 3月在我院确诊的 36例阿米巴肝脓肿患者的临床特点、诊治和转归情况。 [结果 ]主要临床表现为上腹痛 (86 1% )、发热 (86 1% )、肝肿大伴触痛 (83 3% )和右肋间压痛(5 8 3 % )。实验室检查 ,外周血白细胞升高 (6 1 1% )及血沉增快 (88 5 % )等。 92 6 %的患者血阿米巴抗体阳性。B超声检查 ,单个脓肿及右叶肝脓肿均为 75 %。全部病例均用甲硝唑治疗 ,其中 ,2 7例患者同时行肝脓肿穿刺抽脓。治疗后 ,痊愈 10例 ,显效 2 5例 ,总有效率为 97 2 %。 1例患者死于肝功能衰竭。 [结论 ]单用抗阿米巴药物治疗对于小肝脓肿疗效好 ,如肝脓肿较大应同时行肝脓肿穿刺引流     

The outcome of patients with an extrahepatic biliary stricture secondary to chronic pancreatitis

Twenty-three chronic pancreatitis patients with abnormal liver function or cholangitis were shown at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to have common bile duct strictures. Nine were investigated following a single episode of jaundice, 9 after multiple attacks, and 5 presented with an elevated alkaline phosphatase. Jaundice resolved spontaneously in 7 of the 9 patients presenting with a single episode. Fifteen patients required surgery: this was for recurrent or unremitting jaundice in eight, cholangitis in three, unmanageable pain in two, and radiological appearances suspicious of malignancy in two. Five had biliary bypass alone, seven underwent pancreatic resection, one had a pancreatico-jejunostomy, and two, drainage of a pseudocyst. There was one postoperative death following total pancreatectomy. The incidence of continuing pain and insulin-dependent diabetes was similar in the patients treated by biliary bypass or by pancreatic resection; one patient with a bypass had further cholangitis and two with pancreatic resection developed unmanageable steatorrhoea. The radiological severity of pancreatitis in the patients treated conservatively was similar to that in those requiring surgery. The latter group tended to have a shorter stricture of the distal common bile duct. Chronic pancreatitis patients with abnormal liver function resulting from bile duct stricture should first be managed conservatively. When surgical decompression is indicated, drainage of the pseudocyst or a simple bypass is advisable, rather than more radical measures.     

Late acute celiac and hepatic artery thrombosis with portal vein thrombosis resulting in hepatic infarction 12 years post orthotopic liver transplantation

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is relatively infrequent, but possibly a devastating complication of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). It often requires urgent retransplantation. Two main forms of HAT are recognized as early and late HAT (diagnosis within or after 30 days following LT). Early HAT typically results in graft failure. Late HAT features biliary obstruction, cholangitis, and hepatic abscess formation. We report here the case of a patient of Wilson’s disease who presented twelve years post-liver transplant symptoms typical of acute HAT and hepatic infarction. On diagnostic imaging, celiac axis and hepatic artery were thrombosed, resulting in ischemic necrosis of the left hepatic lobe. The resulting sepsis and transient hepatic insufficiency were managed conservatively, and repeat OLT was avoided. The patient remains stable more than one year later. To the best of our knowledge this case report is unique in the literature for the unusually long interval between OLT and late acute HAT, as well as celiac and portal vein occlusion. The acute presentation of sub massive hepatic necrosis is also uncharacteristic of late HAT and more typical of acute HAT. This report describes our experience in managing this and a literature review of the topic.     

Gastric perforation of a left lobe amoebic liver abscess

Liver abscess is the most common extra-intestinal manifestation of invasive amoebiasis. Perforation of the abscess is a potential life-threatening complication. We report a case where perforation into the stomach was successfully managed conservatively. The initial diagnosis in this case was made by gastroscopy and biopsy. To our knowledge, only five cases of gastric perforation of an amoebic liver abscess have been reported in the English literature. In none of these cases was the diagnosis established by histology of gastric biopsy specimens.     

Ileocecal masses in patients with amebic liver abscess： Etiology and management

AIM:To assess the causes of ileocecal mass in patientswith amebic liver abscess.METHODS:Patients with amebic liver abscess andileocecal mass were carefully examined and investigatedby contrast-enhanced CT scan followed by colonoscopyand histological examination of biopsy materials fromlesions during colonoscopy.RESULTS:Ileocecal masses were found in seventeenpatients with amebic liver abscess.The cause of themass was ameboma in 14 patients,cecal tuberculosisin 2 patients and adenocarcinoma of the cecum in 1patient.Colonic ulcers were noted in five of the six(83%)patients with active diarrhea at presentation.Theileocecal mass in all these patients was ameboma.Ulcerswere seen in only one of the 11(9%)patients withoutdiarrhea.The difference was statistically significant fromthe group with diarrhea(P<0.005).CONCLUSION:Ileocecal mass is not an uncommonfinding in patients with amebic liver abscess.Although,the ileocecal mass is due to ameboma formation in mostcases,it should not be assumed that this is the case inall patients.Colonoscopy and histological examinationof the target biopsies are mandatory to avoid missing amore sinister lesion.     

Clinical experiences of five cases with ulcerative colitis and recto- or anovaginal fistula]

Clinical aspects, treatment and outcome of five patients with ulcerative colitis recto- or anovaginal fistula and were studied retrospectively. All patients had total colitis (relapse and remission type) and more than a 5 year history of ulcerative colitis. They all had anorectal complications, such as periproctal abscess, stenosis of fistula. Four patients had total colectomy with an ileal pouch anal canal anastomosis for intractability or dysplasia. One was treated conservatively. Complete closure of fistula was obtained in two patients;in one patient rectum was resected below the fistula and in one patient defect of the vaginal posterior wall was reconstructed by using a gluteal fold flap following colectomy. Recto- or anovaginal fistula complicating ulcerative colitis is rare but may occur in the patients with severe rectal inflammation and they can be managed by restorative proctocolectomy with an ileal pouch anal or anal canal anastomosis.     

Subcapsular hepatic haematoma of the right lobe following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: Case report and literature review

Sub capsular hepatic haematoma is a rare complication after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP). Exact pathological mechanism is still unclear and few reports are nowadays available in literature. We report the case of a 58-year-old woman with recurrent episodes of upper abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. On the basis of laboratory exams, abdomen ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging she was diagnosed with a common bile duct stone. Endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy was performed. On the following day the patient complaint severe abdominal pain with rebound and hemodynamic instability. A computed tomography scan reveal a 14 cm × 6 cm × 19 cm subcapsular hepatic haematoma on the right lobe that was successfully managed via percutaneous embolization. Sub capsular liver haematoma is a rare life threatening complication after ERCP that should be managed according to patients' haemodynamic and clinic.