Liver abscess due to acute cholecystitis. Report of five cases.
Acute cholecystitis is one of the most frequent causes of admissions to surgical departments. The development of liver abscesses is an uncommon and underrated complication of acute cholecystitis. In this study we report on our experience with the treatment of 5 cases of liver abscesses secondary to acute cholecystitis. All 5 cases were characterised by a lengthy period between the onset of acute cholecystitis symptoms and the subsequent diagnosis of a secondary liver abscess. In 4 out of 5 patients, admission for liver abscess occurred 12, 30, 50 and 120 days, respectively, after the acute cholecystitis episode. The liver abscesses were successfully treated with percutaneous drainage under US guidance (4 cases) and 4 patients underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy to treat the acute cholecystitis. After resolution of the acute phase, an elective cholecystectomy was performed in 4 out of 5 cases. Failure to diagnose acute cholecystitis at onset or inappropriate treatment of the condition could lead to the development of liver abscesses.
I Divisione Clinicizzata di Chirurgia Generale, Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche e Gastroenterologiche, Università di Verona.
Germana
G
Zerman
Michele
M
Bonfiglio
Giuseppe
G
Borzellino
Alfredo
A
Guglielmi
Sebastiano
S
Tasselli
Eleonora
E
Valloncini
Alberto
A
Di Leo
Giovanni
G
de Manzoni
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008100:Liver Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged