Assessment of Liver Abscess by Using Ultrasound and Ultrasound Guided Drainage

Abstract

A liver abscess is a pus-filled cavity within the liver, usually caused by a biliary tract source, portal venous system, and abdominal trauma. This is both retrospective and prospective study, facility based-study. Study period conducted from 2008-2013. A total of 54 patients (40 males and 14 females) were studied. Age group was between 1-90 years old. All of them with a known history of liver abscess and were send for aspiration from different hospitals. This study was done assess the role of the ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment of liver abscess. The procedure is started by normal abdominal ultrasound scan for whole abdomen to determine the exact site, size and echogenicity of the abscess. The machine, the probe, and the whole patient’s abdomen were sterilized. 5cc of local anesthesia was injected at the site of procedure. Then, small-sized are totally aspirated to dryness & washed with a few cc of normal saline, without further action. The site is then covered with a plaster, larger sized abscess are drained by inserting by a drainage catheter mostly by Seldinger technique & the catheter is secured in site for about 2 days until the abscess is totally drained & sometimes a saline wash is done through the catheter. Data obtained were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 as well as Microsoft Excel 2007. In summary of the results of this study we showed that the males affected more than females and the right lobe of the liver more than the left lobe. The most typical ultrasound features of the liver abscess are they are usually hypoechoic, well defined and thick walled. Most of the abscesses can be completely aspirated in one session without the need for catheter drainage.After aspiration, mostly, the abscess is yellowish in color and these features are probably of pyogenic liver