Hepatic abscess induced by foreign body: case report and literature review

• Author(s): Santos, S ; Alberto, S ; Cruz, E ; Pires, E ; Figueira, T ; Coimbra, E ; Estevez, J ; Oliveira, M ; Novais, L ; Deus, JR
• Date: 2007
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.10/30
• Origin: Repositório do Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca
• Subject(s): Abcesso hepático; Corpos estranhos
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

Hepatic abscess due to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract caused by ingested foreign bodies is uncommon. Pre-operative diagnosis is diffi cult as patients are often unaware of the foreign body ingestion and symptoms and imagiology are usually non-specific. The authors report a case of 62-year-old woman who was admitted with fever and abdominal pain. Further investigation revealed hepatic abscess, without resolution despite antibiotic therapy. A liver abscess resulting from perforation and intra-hepatic migration of a bone coming from the pilorum was diagnosed by surgery. The literature concerning foreign body-induced perforation of the gastrointestinal tract complicated by liver abscess is reviewed.