Pyogenic liver abscess in children: a case series

Abstract

The liver abscess involves an authentic diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. It is not frecuent in childhood. Occurs mainly
in developing countries and is associated to malnutrition and parasitic infection, that are described as risk factors. Pyogenic
liver abscess represents, in most of the cases, a cause of long-time hospitalizations because of the requirement of
endovenous treatment, but usually with low mortality.
We describe a four-case series of patients with pyogenic liver abscess between 2016 and 2018 in Hospital de Especialidades
Pediatricas in Panamá City.
Three patients were female and one was a male. In two of the cases, there were risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and
advanced HIV infection.
The most frequent symptoms were: fever (100%), abdominal pain (100%) and hepatomegaly (50%).
In neither one of the cases, liver abscess was suspected as diagnosis. All cases were diagnosed by hepatic sonogram and
conrmed by abdominal CT- scan. The mean size of lesions was 6.88 x 6.18 x 6.12 cm. Three of the cases were located in right
lobe and one in the left lobe of the liver. They were managed with broad-spectrum antibiotics and percutaneous drainage.
Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in one case.
The patients received a mean of 33 + 3.5 days of treatment. All cases evolved well with improvement of lesion in
ultrasonography. None of the patients required surgical intervention.