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. Common causes are abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or diverticulitis due to haematogenous spread through the portal vein.

Causes

Major bacterial causes of liver abscess include the following:

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

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.

External links

• Liver Abscess CT Images CTCases Liver Abscess CT Scan.