Multiple pyogenic liver abscesses associated with occult appendicitis and possible Crohn's disease
Usdan, L.S.; Massinople, C.
Tennessee Medicine Journal of the Tennessee Medical Association 95(11): 463-464
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 1088-6222 PMID: 12436861 Document Number: 548230
Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA) are important entities that require rapid diagnosis and treatment because of the significant associated morbidity and mortality. The epidemiologic, clinical, and prognostic features of PLA have changed over time since the advent of antibiotics, advances in noninvasive imaging techniques, and surgical and non-surgical treatments. Certain predisposing factors have been recognized such as age greater than 50 years, presence of hepatobiliary disease, and systemic illness such as diabetes mellitus and malignancy. We describe a case of a young, healthy woman, with no significant risk factors or comorbidities, who developed multiple hepatic abscesses as a result of a chronic inflammatory process in the cecum and appendix, with features consistent with an initial presentation of Crohn's disease.