Liver abscess
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| K75.0 | Liver abscess |
| A06.4 | Amoeba liver abscess |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
A liver abscess is a delimited collection of pus ( abscess ) in the liver tissue . It can arise primarily from bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus ), parasitic and unicellular infectious agents (e.g. Entamoeba histolytica , which causes solitary liver abscesses in amoebic dysentery) or secondarily after an operation . The pathogens can penetrate the liver via the blood ( hematogenous ), the lymph ( lymphogenous ) or the bile ducts ( cholangiogenic from purulent cholangitis ). Pathogens from inflammatory foci (for example in the case of purulent appendicitis) can also reach the liver via the portal vein and thus cause abscesses.
The symptoms of a liver abscess are usually high fever, liver tenderness, nausea and vomiting, jaundice and anemia . The diagnosis is confirmed by means of an ultrasound examination and a CT scan . Therapy is carried out with drugs (high-dose antibiotics), percutaneous drainage or surgical removal of the abscess cavity, possibly by segmental resection . A sepsis or rupture of the abscess cavity with a breakthrough into the free abdominal cavity and subsequent peritonitis are considered complications of a liver abscess .
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Hans Adolf Kühn: diseases of the liver. In: Ludwig Heilmeyer (ed.): Textbook of internal medicine. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1955; 2nd edition ibid. 1961, pp. 847-875, here: p. 868 ( circumscribed inflammatory diseases of the liver. Liver abscess ).