Septic pulmonary emboli secondary to pyogenic liver abscess in a diabetic patient

A 70-year-old woman with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus was admitted because of persistent remittent fever. Soon a liver abscess was detected as the cause of the fever by ultrasonography, and antibiotic therapy was started. However, suddenly serious dyspnea with chest and back pain developed. The morbid condition was definitely diagnosed as septic pulmonary emboli (SPE) with pulmonary perfusion scan. It should be recognized that liver abscess can be a latent focus of systemic metastatic complications such as SPE, and not only early detection but also prompt appropriate drainage of liver abscesses is essential.