Liver abscess

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title: "Liver abscess" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["diseases-of-liver"] topic_path: "general/diseases-of-liver" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_abscess" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox medical condition (new)"]

Field	Value
name	Liver abscess
image	Leberabszess - CT axial PV.jpg
caption	Liver abscess on axial CT image: a hypodense lesion in the liver with peripherally enhancement.
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| name = Liver abscess | image = Leberabszess - CT axial PV.jpg | caption = Liver abscess on axial CT image: a hypodense lesion in the liver with peripherally enhancement. | | pronounce = | field = | synonyms = | symptoms = | complications = | onset = | duration = | types = | causes = | risks = | diagnosis = | differential = | prevention = | treatment = | medication = | prognosis = | frequency = | deaths = A liver abscess is a mass filled with pus inside the liver. Common causes are abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or diverticulitis due to haematogenous spread through the portal vein. It can also develop as a complication of a liver injury.

Causes

Risk factors for developing liver abscess can be due to infection, post-procedural infection and metastasis such as primary liver tumours, liver metastasis, biliary procedures, biliary injuries, biliary tract disease, appendicitis, and diverticulitis.

Major bacterial causes of liver abscess include the following:

• Streptococcus species (including Enterococcus)
• Escherichia species
• Staphylococcus species
• Klebsiella species (Higher rates in the Far East)
• Anaerobes (including Bacteroides species)
• Pseudomonas species
• Proteus species
• *Entamoeba histolytica *

However, as noted above, many cases are not polymicrobial.

Diagnosis

Types

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/LargeHepaticAbscessMark.png" caption="A large pyogenic liver abscess presumed to be the result of appendicitis"] ::

There are several major forms of liver abscess, classified by cause:

• Pyogenic liver abscess, which is most often polymicrobial, accounts for 80% of hepatic abscess cases in the United States.
• Amoebic liver abscess due to Entamoeba histolytica accounts for 10% of cases. The incidence is much higher in developing countries.
• Fungal abscess, most often due to Candida species, accounts for less than 10% of cases.
• Iatrogenic abscess, caused by medical interventions

Management

Draining of the abscess and antibiotics: IV metronidazole and third generation cephalosporin/quinolones, β-lactam antibiotics, and aminoglycosides are effective.

Prognosis

The prognosis has improved for liver abscesses. The mortality rate in-hospital is about 2.5-19%. The elderly, ICU admissions, shock, cancer, fungal infections, cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, acute respiratory failure, severe disease, or disease of biliary origin have a worse prognosis.

References

References

1. (11 April 2018). "Liver Abscess Definition in Medical Conditions Dictionary".
2. {{MedlinePlusEncyclopedia. 000261. Pyogenic liver abscess
3. Akhondi, Hossein. (2022). "Liver Abscess". StatPearls Publishing.
4. (January 2014). "Pyogenic liver abscess". Frontline Gastroenterology.
5. (2019). "StatPearls". StatPearls Publishing.

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