[Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis]

Patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites suffer from spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in up to 25%. The typical clinical signs are abdominal pain with tenderness and fever. 30% have no signs of peritonitis. Then clinical worsening, encephalopathy, rising serum creatinine levels, and therapy resistant ascites may be the only clinical features. SBP must be differentiated from bacterascites and culture negative neutrocytic ascites by the polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) count in the ascites and the presence of positive culture results, which has prognostic implications. Gram negative rods from the colon play an important etiological role in SBP. Gastrointestinal bleeding, lack of serum complement, a low ascites protein and the extent of intrahepatic shunts predispose to SBP. Then, prophylaxis with the comparable drugs neomycin and norfloxacin is indicated. Coexisting encephalopathy has to be treated by the therefore effective neomycin. Otherwise, norfloxacin is the drug of choice because of better acceptance and lower costs. Chemical parameters of the ascites (pH value less than 7.4; LDH and lactate greater than serum levels; glucose less than 50 mg%) help to assess the severity of peritonitis. The course of ascitic PMN under therapy and the time of persisting positive cultures can discriminate SBP from secondary peritonitis. Antibiotics of choice are amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefotaxime. Short course therapy (5 days) is a effective as long course therapy (10 days). Today SBP is no more life-threatening because diagnosis, prophylaxis and therapy have improved. However, complication rate of patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites has not changed.