Pyogenic Hepatic Abscess--Less is More. A Review for General Internists

Pyogenic hepatic abscesses are rare, and fatal if untreated. Recent progresses in diagnostic and interventional radiology facilitated their management. However, abscesses located in the caudate lobe are still a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, especially to general internists, who tend to overtreatment. Literature of this specific form of hepatic abscess is scarce. The aim of this article was to review the existing literature on caudate lobe abscesses, as well as to provide a brief overview over pyogenic liver abscesses in order to draw attention of general internists to this important differential diagnosis and facilitate the decision-making on therapy. We underline that current evidence suggests a less is more position, so as to warrant a quality approach.