Pneumoperitoneum following the spontaneous rupture of a gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess: Report of a case

We report herein the case of a ruptured liver abscess that resulted in pneu moperitoneum. A patient with diabetes mellitus presented with symptoms of a cute abdomen. The plain abdominal radiograph and computed tomography findin gs revealed abdominal free air and a gas-containing liver abscess, whereby a diagnosis of a ruptured liver abscess was made. An emergency operation wa s performed, and the abscess was drained followed by peritoneal lavage and the administration of appropriate antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge , very few cases of spontaneous pneumoperitoneum occurring secondary to the rupture of a gas-containing liver abscess have been encountered in Japan.