Liver abscesses are very rare complications of ulcerative colitis, and furthermore, there has been only one case of splenic abscess in a patient with ulcerative colitis reported in the English literature. We recently encountered a patient with ulcerative colitis accompanied by both hepatic and splenic abscesses. The patient was treated with abscess drainage as well as sulfasalazine and antibiotics. Follow-up sonography of the abdomen showed complete resolution of the lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of combined case of multiple liver abscesses combined with splenic abscess in a patient with ulcerative colitis.
Abdominal Abscess/complications/*pathology ; Adolescent ; Colitis, Ulcerative/complications/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Abscess/complications/*pathology ; Splenic Diseases/complications/*pathology

A falciform ligament abscess is a rare type of intra-abdominal abscess. A 2-yr-old male, who had omphalitis two months previously, presented with a fever and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. The ultrasound and CT scan showed an abdominal wall abscess located anterior to the liver, which was refractory to conservative management with percutaneous draninage and antibiotics. On the third recurrence, surgical exploration was performed and revealed an abscess arising from the falciform ligament; the falciform ligament was excised. A follow up ultrasound confirmed complete resolution of the abscess with no further recurrence.
Abdominal Abscess/*etiology/surgery ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Infection/*complications ; Ligaments/*pathology/surgery ; Male ; Umbilicus/*pathology

BACKGROUND: For complicated appendicitis, in contrast to simple appendicitis, laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is considered a relative or absolute contraindication because of the higher postoperative complication rate than that of open appendectomy (OA), especially, high incidence of intra-abdominal abscess. The purpose of this article is to assess the feasibility of LA for complicated appendicitis. METHODS: A retrospective review of 35 LA and 128 OA for the cases of gangrenous, perforated appendicitis, and periappendiceal abscess between May 1995 and June 1997 was performed. Patients were identified through the hospital pathology registry. We compared data from both groups with respect to operative times, postoperative pain, duration of ileus, length of hospital stay, and complication rate, with special attention to the incidence of intra-abdominal abscess. RESULTS: 1) The male:female ratio of LA (1:1.2) was significantly lower than that of OA (1:0.45) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the age distribution between both groups. 2) The mean operative time of LA (58.3 minutes) was significantly longer than that of OA (51.8 minutes) (p<0.05). 3) The mean number of injections of analgesics and the mean duration of ileus represented an advantage for LA (1.2 times and 1.8 days) than those of OA (1.6 times and 2.0 days). But these differences did not reach statistical significance. 4) The length of hospital stay of LA (6.5 days) was shorter than that of OA (7.8 dyas) (p<0.05). 5) Overall postoperative complication rate was lower in LA (11.4%) compared with OA (11.7) (p>0.05). But LA was associated with higher incidence of postoperative intra-abdominal abscess (3/35, 8.6%) than OA (3/128, 2.3%) (p=0.114). There was one serious intra-abdominal abscess in the LA, which required reoperation. The rest 2 cases in the LA and all 3 cases in the OA were treated conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: LA for complicated appendicitis could afford the merits of shorter hospital stay, reduced incidenceof wound infection, and comparable incidence of overall complication rate. To reduce the incidence of postoperative intra-abdominal abscess, copious irrigation and adequate drainage should be recommended.
Abdominal Abscess ; Abscess ; Age Distribution ; Analgesics ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis* ; Drainage ; Humans ; Ileus ; Incidence ; Length of Stay ; Operative Time ; Pain, Postoperative ; Pathology ; Postoperative Complications ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Wound Infection

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a vasculitis involving small vessels of skin, joints, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and kidneys. The patients typically show palpable purpura with one or more characteristic manifestations including abdominal pain, hematuria or arthritis. HSP shows gastrointestinal symptoms in 50~85% of patients, and in 14~40% of patients GI symptoms precede purpuric rash which makes the diagnosis of HSP difficult. We present a case of Henoch-Schonlein purpura with GI bleeding, septic shock by ileal microperforation, small bowel obstruction as a result of ileal stricture and psoas muscle abscess.
Abdominal Pain ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Psoas Abscess/etiology/*radiography ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: An adrenalectomy is needed in about 10 to 25% of Cushing's syndrome cases due to adrenal adenoma, hyperplasia, or carcinoma. The purpose of this study is to compare the postoperative compli cations of an adrenalectomy between Cushing's and non-Cushing's patients. METHODS: Data were collected by reviewing the hospital charts of patients treated at Korea University from July 1987 to Jan. 1998 the clinical data were compared using statistical method. RESULTS: An adrenalectomy was performed in 77 patients, and the causes of the adrenalectomy were primary aldosteronism (25 cases), pheochr mocytoma (23 cases), Cushing's syndrome (20 cases), adrenal carcinoma (5 cases), non-functioning adre nal adenoma (2 cases), ganglioneuroma (1 case), and neuroblastoma (1 case). The causes of Cushing's syndrome were adenoma (16 cases), nodular hyperplasia (3 cases), and carcinoma (1 case). The types of adrenalectomy used were anterior (60 cases), posterior (14 cases), and lateral (3 cases). Postoperative complications were atelectasis, pneumonia, wound infection, paralytic ileus, intra-abdominal abscess, intra-abdominal bleeding, acute renal failure and psychosis, in order of frequency. The rate of post operative complications in patients with Cushing's syndrome was 85%, which was higher than rate of 31.6% (p=0.02). Postoperative respiratory complications, such as atelectasis and pneumonias, were more common for patients with Cushing's syndrome (p=0.02). In patients of Cushing's syndrome, the devel opment of postoperative complication was related to the length of the operation, the size of the tumor, the weight of the tumor, the site of the tumor, the pathology and the method of approach (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The patients with Cushing's syndrome were prone to postoperative complications, and respiratory complications were the most common postoperative complication. Careful preoperative and postoperative respiratory management should reduce the complications of an adrenalectomy in patients with Cushing's syndrome.
Abdominal Abscess ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy* ; Cations ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Ganglioneuroma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hyperplasia ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Korea ; Neuroblastoma ; Pathology ; Pneumonia ; Postoperative Complications* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Wound Infection

PURPOSE: An adrenalectomy is needed in about 10 to 25% of Cushing's syndrome cases due to adrenal adenoma, hyperplasia, or carcinoma. The purpose of this study is to compare the postoperative compli cations of an adrenalectomy between Cushing's and non-Cushing's patients. METHODS: Data were collected by reviewing the hospital charts of patients treated at Korea University from July 1987 to Jan. 1998 the clinical data were compared using statistical method. RESULTS: An adrenalectomy was performed in 77 patients, and the causes of the adrenalectomy were primary aldosteronism (25 cases), pheochr mocytoma (23 cases), Cushing's syndrome (20 cases), adrenal carcinoma (5 cases), non-functioning adre nal adenoma (2 cases), ganglioneuroma (1 case), and neuroblastoma (1 case). The causes of Cushing's syndrome were adenoma (16 cases), nodular hyperplasia (3 cases), and carcinoma (1 case). The types of adrenalectomy used were anterior (60 cases), posterior (14 cases), and lateral (3 cases). Postoperative complications were atelectasis, pneumonia, wound infection, paralytic ileus, intra-abdominal abscess, intra-abdominal bleeding, acute renal failure and psychosis, in order of frequency. The rate of post operative complications in patients with Cushing's syndrome was 85%, which was higher than rate of 31.6% (p=0.02). Postoperative respiratory complications, such as atelectasis and pneumonias, were more common for patients with Cushing's syndrome (p=0.02). In patients of Cushing's syndrome, the devel opment of postoperative complication was related to the length of the operation, the size of the tumor, the weight of the tumor, the site of the tumor, the pathology and the method of approach (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The patients with Cushing's syndrome were prone to postoperative complications, and respiratory complications were the most common postoperative complication. Careful preoperative and postoperative respiratory management should reduce the complications of an adrenalectomy in patients with Cushing's syndrome.
Abdominal Abscess ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy* ; Cations ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Ganglioneuroma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hyperplasia ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Korea ; Neuroblastoma ; Pathology ; Pneumonia ; Postoperative Complications* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Wound Infection