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.     

Diagnosis and treatment of amebic “empyema”: Report of eighty-eight cases

Eighty-eight patients with amebic “empyema” were treated during a fifteen year period. Rupture of the hepatic abscess into the pleural cavity was preceded by a clinical picture suggestive of an acute inflammatory process as short as three days or a chronic wasting disease as long as eight months. The complication was signaled by increase or change in character of pain, respiratory insufficiency, sepsis, and an opaque right lung field with mediastinal shift. Serologic tests and liver scans have allowed earlier diagnosis of the disease. Treatment included: (a) amebicidal drugs, singly or in combination, particularly metronidazole and emetine; (b) drainage of the pleural contents by closed or open thoracostomy, frequently followed by decortication and, in a few cases, by liver aspiration of undrained abscesses; and (c) treatment of associated respiratory, circulatory, and systemic derangements. Seventy-five patients were discharged as cured or improved; one had recurrence of the clinical picture of amebic abscess. Twelve patients succumbed due to respiratory failure, sepsis, and pulmonary edema; in three the disease was not correctly diagnosed during life. Prompt diagnosis and efficient therapy during the uncomplicated stage of hepatic amebic abscess should avoid this dreadful and potentially lethal complication.     

Amebic abscess of the liver presenting as acute cholecystitis

A case report is presented of a 37-year-old active duty Navy petty officer with amebic abscess of the liver presenting as acute cholecystitis. He was admitted with severe right upper quadrant pain and a positive Murphy's sign, but sonogram and computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated an abscess in the right lobe of the liver. "Anchovy paste" material was obtained on percutaneous drainage, and he was placed on metronidazole administration with a tentative diagnosis of amebic abscess. This was confirmed on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Symptoms resolved within a few days, and the abscess progressively decreased in size. Amebic abscess of the liver is discussed, with emphasis on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. Although uncommon, the condition is still seen in various population groups including the United States military. Difficulty in diagnosis is not unusual, and as in the herein-reported case, amebic abscesses of the liver may be confused with acute cholecystitis and other intra-abdominal infections. Abdominal sonogram and CT examination will identify a process in the liver, but the presence of amebiasis must be confirmed by laboratory studies on serum or contents of the abscess. Amebicidal agents are effective in many cases, but there remain roles for aspiration of the abscess, percutaneous drainage, and even open surgical drainage. Failure to establish an early diagnosis may result in rupture of the abscess, with catastrophic results.     

Ruptured amebic liver abscess

A 20 years old male was referred from a district hospital having a refractory amebic liver abscess, not responding to metronidazole and aspiration. At presentation, he had pain in the right upper abdominal quadrant (RUAQ) with guarding and rigidity, accompanied by fever, vomiting and dyspnea. A diagnosis of ruptured amebic liver abscess (ALA) was made. The patient was managed successfully with ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) and metronidazole.     

Intrathoracic Presentation of Amebic Liver Abscess

Amebic infection is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries and still remains a common cause of chronic morbidity in these areas. This is a report of 10 patients with different intrathoracic presentations of amebic liver abscess who were treated surgically after conservative measures had failed. Five of these patients had empyema when first seen, 3 had lung abscess, and 1 had intrathoracic shadow that proved on exploration to be an amebic liver abscess. All these 9 patients had abscesses on the right side secondary to amebic liver abscess of the right lobe of the liver. The tenth patient had amebic pericarditis secondary to amebic abscess of the left lobe of the liver. Failure of conservative treatment in these patients is attributed to the thick nature of the amebic pus and the severe reaction of the pleura and pericardium to the amebic infection. To avoid the serious complication of pleuropulmonary amebiasis, early operation is advised for large liver abscesses that are unlikely to be controlled by conservative treatment. Transpleural drainage of such abscesses gives direct approach to their sites, which are commonly located in the superior part of the right lobe of the liver. Such drainage has proved to be safe provided that the patient is receiving antiamebic drug treatment.     

Ruptured amebic liver abscess

We treated two patients with a ruptured amebic liver abscess. The diagnosis was made at a relatively early stage and treatment was successful for one patient, but an accurate diagnosis of liver abscess was not made and invasive extraintestinal amebiasis led to multiple organ failure and to death for the other. Neither patient had been outside of Japan, and both were heterosexual. The origins of Entamoeba histolytica infection could not be determined. Though the mortality rate is high in cases of ruptured amebic liver abscess, appropriate management can lead to a good prognosis.     

Amebic peritonitis following rupture of an amebic liver abscess. Successful treatment of two patients.

We present two successfully treated cases of amebic peritonitis. Acute peritonitis secondary to intra-abdominal rupture of an amebic liver abscess is an infrequent but serious complication of invasive amebiasis. Its diagnosis should be considered in anyone with a suspected liver abscess, jaundice, or diarrhea in whom peritonitis develops. This diagnosis should be further suggested in the United States if the patient is a male and is of Mexican origin in areas where this racial group constitutes the majority of cases of amebic disease. Use of radioisotope liver scans and the demonstration of serum precipitins to Endamoeba histolytica may provide rapid evidence of invasive disease, although surgical intervention is often necessary to make a specific diagnosis. Emetine hydrochloride alone or followed by metronidazole combined with surgical drainage is the current treatment for amebic peritonitis.     

脑脓肿的诊断和治疗(附20例报告)

目的探讨脑脓肿的诊断和治疗.方法1996年1月～2004年6月20例脑脓肿均行CT检查,8例行MR检查中2例行磁共振波谱检查,应用头孢曲松联合甲硝唑治疗1～9周,平均3.7周.CT或B超引导下3例行脓肿切除术,5例行脓肿穿刺引流术.结果1例因脓肿破入脑室死亡,16例治愈(无后遗症),3例好转(残留肢体偏瘫).8例手术患者无一例死亡.合并有糖尿病、结核、HIV抗体阳性及肾移植8例中4例治愈,无相关疾病12例治愈;脓肿与脑室关系密切9例中有5例治愈,脓肿表浅11例均治愈.5例多发脓肿均治愈,15例单发脓肿有11例治愈.结论脑脓肿早期诊断、早期抗感染治疗大部可治愈,MR是早期明确诊断的重要方法,立体定向手术是较好的手术方式.     

Infections of the central nervous system

Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency. Presentation commonly includes headache, fever and neck stiffness. Prompt treatment with high-dose parenteral antibiotics is essential. Prior or concurrent dexamethasone administration improves neurological outcome. Diagnosis is confirmed by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. Lumbar puncture should be preceded by a computed tomography (CT) head scan when raised intracranial pressure is likely. Brain abscesses usually result from spread from a local infection such as otitis media or sinusitis. Patients present with a 2–3-week history of fever, convulsions and signs of an intracranial mass lesion and can be very ill. CT scan classically demonstrates a ring-enhancing lesion. Treatment includes surgical drainage and high-dose parenteral antibiotics for 6–8 weeks. Subdural empyema is a collection of pus between the dura and arachnoid mater. Presentation is more acute than for brain abscesses. The mortality rate is ～34%. Epidural abscesses are commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and are associated with intravenous drug abuse and compromised immunity. Fever and backache are common signs. The diagnosis is confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Urgent surgical drainage is vital to preserve neurological function. Epidural abscesses following neuroaxial procedures occur in ～1:1000 patients. Strict adherence to infection guidelines is essential to limit this risk.     

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.     

Amebic pericardial effusion: a rare complication of amebic liver abscess.

Two rare cases of amebic pericardial effusion as a complication of amoebic liver abscess in the left lobe are described. The pericardial amebiasis should be suspected in a patient presenting with signs and symptoms of pericardial effusion with an evidence of hepatic abscess (in the left lobe) or in a patient with pericardial effusion of uncertain etiology. Aspiration of "anchovy sauce" pus from both the pericardial cavity and the liver should be regarded as confirming the diagnosis of amebic pericarditis secondary to amebic liver abcess because demonstration of Entamoeba hystolytica is seldom possible. Removal of pericardial pus and metronidazole intake were markedly effective in treating our patients.     

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.     

Management of brain stem abscess

The brain stem is an uncommon site of a brain abscess. Such lesions were invariably fatal before 1974, when the arrival of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging improved the prognosis. This new case with a good result shows the usefulness of early diagnosis, careful clinical and radiological monitoring and combined medical and surgical management. A child 2 1/2 years of age was admitted to the department of neurosurgery for diagnosis and treatment of a brain stem lesion. The clinical context and discovery of an intrabronchial foreign body, as well as neuroradiological investigations, suggested a diagnosis of brain stem abscess. Initial treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics with good cerebral penetration was associated with an increase in the size of the abscess and clinical worsening. Stereotactic aspiration of lesion was performed by a transpeduncular approach under CT guidance and general anaesthesia. Secondary thoracotomy enabled removal of an intrabronchial needle. After evacuation, in spite of failure to identify the organism, neurological deficit resolved rapidly and the lesion no longer appeared on CT. Management of a brain abscess always includes antibiotics. They must cover the organisms most often encountered in brain abscesses and have good cerebral penetration. Medical treatment seems to suffice for small abscesses. A brain stem abscess with rapid clinical signs, together with current neuroradiogical diagnostic techniques, enables early discovery of such abscesses when they are still small. Treatment of brain stem abscesses includes primary antibiotic therapy, then stereotaxic drainage when there is any diagnostic doubt, poor clinical tolerability or antibiotic resistance.     

Concomitant and secondary bacterial infection of the pus in hepatic amoebiasis

In a series of 48 consecutive patients with clinically diagnosed uncomplicated amoebic liver abscess (ALA), the pus obtained by closed drainage of the abscess was bacteriologically sterile. Secondary bacterial infection of the ALA as a direct result of the aspiration procedure occurred in only 1 patient, the causative organism being Escherichia coli. Entamoeba histolytica was identified in a total of 39 cases (81%) by means of direct microscopy of the pus as well as culture methods.     

Multiple brain abscesses caused by Salmonella typhi: case report

BACKGROUND: Focal intracranial infections caused by Salmonella species are uncommon. The authors report a case of multiple brain abscesses caused by Salmonella typhi. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 2-month-old girl was admitted to the hospital because of diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and poor feeding. Neurological examination revealed cervical hyperextension and absence of sucking and Moro reflexes. During the next 20 hours she developed complex partial seizures with secondary generalization and alternated irritability with drowsiness. Investigation showed hemoglobin 6.3 g/dl; white blood cell count of 19500/mm3 with a marked shift to the left. The analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed white cell count of 1695/mm3, lymphocytes 61%, protein 300 mg/dl and glucose 6 mg/dl. The patient was treated for acute gastroenterocolitis, sepsis, and meningitis. Blood culture taken on the day of admission showed gram-negative bacilli, later identified as S. typhi. Computed tomography scan demonstrated a lesion in the right parietal lobe compatible with a brain abscess. Follow-up computed tomography after 7 days showed several other lesions with the same features. Surgical drainage of the right parietal lesion was performed on the 13th day, through a burr hole. The patient was discharged 5 weeks after admission without neurological deficit. CONCLUSION: Bacteremia, sepsis, and meningitis are relatively common in children with Salmonella infection but intracranial abscesses are very rare. Surgical drainage combined with prolonged antibiotic therapy (drug of choice: chloramphenicol) is the best treatment for Salmonella brain abscesses. The possibility of intracranial infection should be considered in patients with Salmonellosis and neurological dysfunction.     

Secondary pleuropulmonary amoebiasis due to liver abscess rupture: A complication case report in low resource setting

BackgroundPleuropulmonary amoebiasis caused by complications of amoebic liver abscess (ALA) is rare.Case presentationA 23 years old male, presented with shortness of breath, cough with yellowish phlegm, right chest pain, fever, bulging stomach, yellow eyes, and swelling of both legs. Abdominal ultrasound and CT scan thorax and abdomen revealed right fluidopneumothorax and liver abscess. Serological testing leads to Entamoeba histolytica infection, which was treated with metronidazole but no significant improvement on empyema and abscess liver size. Surgery was performed after percutaneous aspiration drainage failed to evacuate the abscess. HE and PAS staining from surgical tissue showed Entamoeba hystolitica infection.DiscussionSerological testing and radiological examination will be more useful in the early detection of cases of Entamoeba hystolitica infection. Surgery may be considered when purulent drainage does not show improvement in the patient's condition.ConclusionALA complication that causes pulmonary empyema can be surgically treated if the pus cannot be drained.     

Intrahepatic abscesses: amebic and pyogenic

Of forty patients studied with intrahepatic abscesses between 1951 and 1971, twenty-one had amebic and nineteen had pyogenic abscesses. Amebic abscess is treated by parenteral use of emetine and aspiration of the abscess. Open drainage is undesirable in an uncomplicated case of amebic abscess. Pyogenic abscess is treated by adequate drainage of the purulent material without contamination of the peritoneal and pleural cavities.     

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.     

Pathology, diagnosis and therapy of liver abscess

Bacterial hepatic abscesses are a rare but serious disease. They develop either secondary to injuries or ischemia of the liver, infections in the drainage area of the portal vein, systemic sepsis or biliary infections. An abscess secondary to injuries or ischemia of the liver or infections in the drainage area of the portal vein, is usually caused by a mixed flora consisting of gramnegative aerobes and anaerobic bacteria. Hepatic abscesses secondary to systemic sepsis contain Staphylococci or Streptococci, while in abscesses on the basis of biliary infections gramnegative organisms are found. Clinically, one can find signs of systemic sepsis, pain in the right upper quadrant and a tender enlarged liver. Jaundice is absent unless a biliary obstruction is present simultaneously. The diagnosis is confirmed by ultrasonography or computerized tomography. An uncertain diagnosis can be confirmed by aspiration under ultrasonographic or computertomographic guidance. The therapy consists of administration of antibiotics and surgical or percutaneous drainage. Surgical drainage via laparotomy is always mandatory if one suspects a primary infectious focus within the abdomen. The mortality of multiple liver abscesses is 20 per cent, that of single abscesses 10 per cent. Amebic abscesses have been observed in nonendemic regions sporadically after travel or spontaneously. Clinical and radiological manifestations are the same as for bacterial abscesses. They are differentiated from bacterial abscesses by positive serology for amebiasis or aspiration which yields the typical anchovy paste. Most important complications are hepato-bronchial fistulae, empyema and amebic pericarditis. The therapy consists of a nitroimidazole and a luminal amebicide. Except for diagnostic reasons aspiration is only indicated for large abscesses of the left lobe of the liver. Mortality of an uncomplicated amebic liver abscess should be under one per cent.     

An Amebic Lung Abscess: Report of a Case

Recently the number of amebiasis cases has increased in Japan. Pleuropulmonary amebiasis is a very rare complication of liver amebiasis. We report herein the case of a 54-year-old man presenting with an amebic lung abscess in his right lower lung. The diagnosis of lung amebiasis was established from a direct examination of the pus in which trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica were detected. After the oral administration of metronidazole, the laboratory findings improved and he thus underwent a right lower lobectomy. He was discharged without any relapse of infection 20 days after a thoracotomy. We conclude that a protozoan infection should thus be suspected in the case of a pleuropulmonary infection in which several types of antibiotics prove to be ineffective. Received: January 29, 2001 / Accepted: May 15, 2001