Pyogenic hepatic abscess after percutaneous liver biopsy in a patient with sickle cell disease

Liver abscess is a rare complication of liver biopsy but has not been reported in a patient with sickle cell disease (SCD) undergoing this procedure. The authors report the case of a child with SCD, on treatment with chronic transfusions and desferrioxamine, who developed a delayed liver abscess after a liver biopsy in which Avitene, a topical hemostatic agent, was used. This is the first description of a liver abscess as a possible complication of liver biopsy in a child with SCD. The presence of a hepatic abscess should be considered in the differential diagnosis of atypical abdominal pain in patients with SCD.