DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT - A REVIEW OF TW ENTY-2 CASES

Twenty-two cases of abscess of the liver are reported. Eighteen were d ue to pyogenic organisms and four to amebas. The diagnosis was establi shed based on clinical and laboratory evaluations and, above all, on u ltrasonography with aspiration of the lesion. The causative organism w as recovered from the aspirate in 33.3% of cases. Seventeen patients w ere treated by percutaneous aspiration. Two patients required insertio n of a drain because of a biliary fistula. The success rate of percuta neous aspiration with or without drainage was 88.2% in our series. The two patients who had surgery had loculated abscesses with thick pus. In conclusion, the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic abscesses have b enefited from advances in imaging techniques; in particular, aspiratio n or drainage can be performed simply under ultrasonographic guidance.