A Clinical Study of Therapeutic Method for Pyogenic Liver Abscesses

Abstract

Fifty-seven cases of pyogenic liver abscesses during the last 10 years were reviewed for therapeutic methods and prognosis. Percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage was performed in 37 cases. The patients with a solitary cystic lesion recovered completely with percutaneous hepatic abscess drainage under echographic guidance. But most of the patients with multilocular or multiple lesions did not recover within two weeks with only abscess drainage. The therapeutic results of abscess drainage for a solitary liver abscess improved, but those of multilocular or multiple liver abscesses were still not good. Transcatheter regional hepatic arterial infusion with antibiotics was performed in 16 cases with multilocularor multiple liver abscess. Systemic antibiotic therapy or abscess drainage for these cases prior to this method did not show good results. The antibiotics were infused for 4 to 38 days continuously or intermittently without major complications. The method was effective for 15 cases, but not effective for 1 case. This method should be attempted if percutaneous abscess drainage is not effective.