Pyogenic hepatic abscess in patients with fever of unknown origin: A clinical analysis of 96 cases

Objective To summarize the clinical diagnosis of pyogenic hepatic abscess. Methods Clinical data about 96 patients with pyogenic hepatic abscess admitted to our hospital from October 2008 to November 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Results The age of these 96 patients (49 male and 47 female) was 35.53±8.92 years on average, ranged from 17 to 85 years. Patients needed generally 1-7 d to get the clear diagnosis with an average of 2.3 d. 91 cases (94.29%) had shiver as the main symptoms. Intermittent fever was found in 59 cases (61.46%). There were 39 cases who had history of diabetes, among them 15 cases were complicated with pneumonia, the difference was statistically signi ficant compared with non-diabetes cases. All 96 cases were treated with pus culture and minimally invasive treatment, 84 cases (87.50%) had positive culture of the drainage liquid, including 53 cases of K. peneumoniae (55.21%). Conclusion Intermittent fever is the heating characteristics of bacterial liver abscess which can be diagnosed timely when combining with the examinations of laboratory and imaging. Properties of drainage liquid can provide basis for empirical therapy. Patients with diabetes who suffer from pyogenic hepatic abscess are vulnerable to lung infection.