Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of pyogenic liver abscess: a retrospective study

The incidence of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) continues to rise, yet atypical clinical symptoms result in considerable incidence of misdiagnosis. This study was conducted to identify potential warning indicators and summarize efficacious diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for potential clinical guidelines.

Hospitalized patients aged ≥18 years and diagnosed with PLA were included in this retrospective study. Data were collected from participant's clinical records. Patients were grouped according to type 2 diabetes mellitus status and ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage (USPD). Between-group differences were analysed with Student's t-test.

A total of 104 hospitalized patients were included, 33 of whom (31.73%) had type 2 diabetes. Procalcitonin levels were raised in all patients, suggesting potential effectiveness and sensitivity as a warning marker for PLA. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography was the most frequently used method (63.46% of cases) for diagnosing PLA. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the main pathogen found in patients with PLA in southeast China (isolated in 92.86% [26/28] of positive blood cultures and 90.70% [39/43] of positive abscess fluid cultures). Duration of hospital stay was shorter in patients who received USPD versus those who did not (17.91 ± 6.84 days versus 21.47 ± 9.82 days).

Types of PLA-susceptible patients, infection markers, highly sensitive imaging techniques and clinical treatment options were identified. These results may help with early accurate diagnosis of patients with PLA, avoiding treatment delay.