[Descriptive analysis of 41 patients with a pyogenic hepatic abscess]. / Análisis descriptivo de 41 pacientes con absceso hepático piógeno.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical, laboratory and imaging characteristics of 41 patients with a pyogenic hepatic abscess. RESEARCH DESIGN: Retrospective, descriptive. SETTING: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, Salvador Zubirán. STUDY UNITS 41 patients with a pyogenic hepatic abscess. MAIN MEASUREMENTS The measurement of the following variables was carried out previous background, period of evolution, symptoms, signs, laboratory studies, imaging, treatment, complications and evolution. RESULTS: 41 patients were evaluated. The average age of the group was 52.5 years (SD = 14.3) and 30 (73%) were male. The most frequent associated disease was diabetes mellitus which was found in 15 patients (37%). The most frequent clinic data were fever in 38 patients (93%), chills in 26 (63%) and pain in the upper right quadrant in 25 (61%). The most common source of the formation of the abscess was of biliary origin in six patients (15%) and the serum amoeba test was positive in 10% of the cases. The localization of the abscess in our series was as follows 33 cases (81%) were from the right lobe, five (12%) from the left lobe, three (7%) from both lobes and 87% were solitary. The germ found more frequently was E. coli in five patients (15%). As for the treatment, puncture by computed tomography was carried out in 25 patients (61%), four patients had a surgery and the rest were treated only with antibiotics. Regarding mortality, only one patient died (2%) due to a septic shock. CONCLUSIONS: An association with diabetes mellitus was identified and the most frequent origin was biliary, these data have already been reported in other studies. On the other hand, mortality and morbidity rates in our study were low.