Abstract
From 1980 to 1986, at the department of surgery, Zentsuji National Hospital, 11 patients with solitary abscess of the liver underwent surgical treatment. Four cases of them were amebic, 6 cases were pyogenic and one was tuberculosis in etiology.
A case of tuberculosis underwent dorsal segmental resection.
About 4 amebic cases, ages of the patient ranged from 53 to 78. All of them were male. Two patients underwent emergency surgical treatment because of rupture of the abscess. Three patients had a past history of amebic dysentery. The right lobe was involved in 3 patiente and left lobe in one. One patient extended to thoracic amebiasis but recovered with antiamebic drugs (Metronidazole). Only one ruptured case of 78 years old associated with CML died on the 17th postoperative day.
About 6 pyogenic cases, the ages ranged from 36 to 84. They were 3 males and 3 females. The causes of liver abscess were unknown or cryptogenic in 3 patients, the infection of biliary tract in 2 patients and the spreading from the portal vein system was strongly suspected in one. The location of the lesion in the liver was right in 5 patients, left in one. Klebsiella was observed in 5 of 6 patients by bacteriological examination and 3 patients had septicemia. One patient underwent PTCD, the other 5 underwent drainage primarily by transabdominal approach. All 6 patients recovered and were alive.
