Liver abscess

Liver abscess
Liver abscess on axial CT image: a hypodense lesion in the liver with peripherally enhancement.
Classification and external resources
Specialty	gastroenterology
ICD-10	K75.0
ICD-9-CM	572.0
DiseasesDB	22094
MedlinePlus	000261
eMedicine	med/1316
MeSH	D008100

A liver abscess is a pus-filled mass inside the liver.^[1] Common causes are abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or diverticulitis due to haematogenous spread through the portal vein.^[2]

Causes

Major bacterial causes of liver abscess include the following:^[3]

• Streptococcus species (including Enterococcus)
• Escherichia species
• Staphylococcus species
• Klebsiella species (Higher rates in the Far East)
• Anaerobes (including Bacteroides species)
• Pseudomonas species
• Proteus species
• Entamoeba Histolytica

However, as noted above, many cases are polymicrobial.

Diagnosis

Types

A large pyogenic liver abscess presumed to be the result of appendicitis

There are three major forms of liver abscess, classified by cause:

• Pyogenic liver abscess, which is most often polymicrobial, accounts for 80% of hepatic abscess cases in the United States.
• Amoebic liver abscess due to Entamoeba histolytica accounts for 10% of cases. The incidence is much higher in developing countries.
• Fungal abscess, most often due to Candida species, accounts for less than 10% of cases.

Management

Antibiotics: IV metronidazole and third generation cephalosporin/quinolones, β-lactam antibiotics, and aminoglycosides are effective.

References

External links

• Liver Abscess CT Images CTCases Liver Abscess CT Scan.