BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite the improvement of personal and social hygiene, pyogenic liver abscess is still a common disease. We compared the incidence, infection route, underlying disease and major complications between two different local hospitals. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 100 patients with pyogenic liver abscess who were treated at Seoul and Guri Hanyang University Hospital from 1999 to 2003. RESULTS: There were 64 males and 36 females in the study group; they were aged from 19 to 94 years with a mean of 56.5 years. Every year 19 to 23 pyogenic liver abscess patients were admitted to both hospitals. The most common organism isolated was Klebsiella pneumoniae in both local hospitals. In the Seoul hospital, diabetes (40.9%) was most common associated condition. In the Guri hospital, biliary tract disease or a history of hepatobiliary surgery (54.2%) was the most common associated condition. Catheter drainage and/or percutaneous needle aspiration were established as the standard treatment modality. CONCLUSIONS: In both regional hospitals, the incidence of pyogenic liver abscess did not decrease and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common organism. Diabetes and biliary tract disease, including, previous hepatobiliary surgery, were the most identifiable underlying disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Klebsiella Infections/complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; *Liver Abscess, Pyogenic/complications/microbiology/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

Emphysematous prostatic abscess is a very rare form of prostatitis. Emphysematous prostatic abscess due to Klebsiella pneumoniae may have a poor prognosis according to a few previous reports. We report a rare case of successfully treated emphysematous prostatic abscess with cystitis due to Klebsiella pneumoniae in a 50-yr-old man with 15-yr history of diabetes mellitus. The patient was referred to the emergency room of our hospital. The KUB film revealed gas shadows in the lower pelvic area suggestive of emphysematous cystitis or emphysematous prostatic abscess. The gas was mainly occupying the prostate and was also seen in the bladder on pelvic CT. The patient was successfully treated with long-term antibiotic use and additional percutaneous drainage of the abscess. Emphysematous prostatic abscess may be misdiagnosed as emphysematous cystitis due to the similar location of gas shadows on radiography. Computerized tomography and transrectal ultrasonography are helpful in making the diagnosis of emphysematous prostatic abscess. Appropriate use of effective antibiotics with drainage of pus is the best treatment. This case emphasizes the importance of timely and accurate diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment in emphysematous prostatic abscess in diabetic patients.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Cystitis/diagnosis ; Diabetes Mellitus/complications ; Drainage ; Emphysema/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Human ; Klebsiella Infections/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae/*metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate/*microbiology ; Prostatic Diseases/*diagnosis/microbiology/radiography

With acupuncture treatment becoming an increasingly popular analgesic, there have been increasing reports on its associated complications. Although pneumothorax is the most frequently reported injury caused by acupuncture needles, infectious complications may not be uncommon. Most infectious complications show less serious clinical manifestations than pneumothorax, but retroperitoneal or intraabdominal abscess caused by acupuncture may be much more serious conditions. We experienced a 56-yr-old male diabetic patient presenting with serious retroperitoneal abscess after acupuncture treatments. Emergency operative drainage with adequate antibiotic therapy was performed. Bacterial culture of blood and closed pus specimens recovered Klebsiella pneumoniae. In addition to application of better knowledge on anatomy, appropriate antiseptic practice by practitioners will reduce many serious complications associated with acupuncture.
Abdominal Abscess/radiography ; *Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy/*adverse effects ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus/complications ; Human ; Klebsiella Infections/*diagnosis/therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae/*metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sepsis/diagnosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Necrotizing pancreatitis is one of the rare complications of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Necrotizing pancreatitis after TACE may result from the development of ischemia caused by regurgitation of embolic materials into the vessels supplying the pancreas. We report a case of post-TACE necrotizing pancreatitis with abscess formation in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient had suffered hepatic artery injury due to repetitive TACE; during his 25th TACE procedure he had submitted to selective catheterization of the feeding vessel from the dorsal pancreatic artery with a cytotoxic agent and Gelfoam particles. The patient complained of abdominal pain after the TACE procedure, and a CT scan led to a diagnosis of necrotizing pancreatitis with abscess formation. The pancreatic abscess progressed despite general management of the pancreatitis, including antibiotics. Percutaneous catheter drainage was performed, and the symptoms of the patient improved.
Abscess/microbiology ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*complications/*therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/*adverse effects ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Citrobacter freundii/isolation & purification ; Drainage ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Enterobacteriaceae Infections/drug therapy ; Hepatitis B/complications ; Humans ; Klebsiella/isolation & purification ; Klebsiella Infections/drug therapy ; Liver Cirrhosis/etiology ; Liver Neoplasms/*complications/*therapy ; Male ; Necrosis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Pancreatitis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess has a tendency to spread to distant sites early in the course of disease and to involve multiple organs synchronously. A 59-year-old male was admitted because of liver abscess accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. The patient underwent percutaneous catheter drainage and received intravenous antibiotics. Symptom relief was achieved after the treatment as well as marked reduction in the size of the abscess. Despite proper treatment of the liver abscess, however, patient developed multiple metastatic infections in a non-concurrent manner: left and right endophthalmitis, psoas abscess, and infectious spondylitis at 5, 23, 30 and 65 days after initial manifestations of liver abscess, respectively. Each infectious episode followed one another after resolution of the former one. For each episode of metastatic infections, the patient promptly underwent treatment with systemic and local antibiotics, interventional abscess drainage, and surgical treatments as needed. The patient fully recovered without sequelae after the use of intravenous antibiotics for an extended period of time. Herein, we report a case of K. pneumoniae liver abscess complicated with delayed-onset multiple metastatic infections.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use ; Drainage ; Endophthalmitis/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Klebsiella Infections/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae/isolation & purification ; Liver Abscess/*diagnosis/etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psoas Abscess/diagnosis/etiology ; Spondylitis/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The epidemiology of acute pyelonephritis (APN) has changed with time. Therefore we investigated the current clinical characteristics of APN and the significance of proper surgical management for treatment of 1,026 APN patients in South Korea for the past 5 yr. The male-to-female ratio was about 1:8. The peak ages of female patients were 20s (21.3%) and over 60s (23.7%), while that of male was over 60s (38.1%). The occurrence of sepsis was 10.1%. Complicated APN patients were 35.4%. Ninety-four patients (9.2%) needed urological procedures. The duration of the flank pain and of the costovertebral angle tenderness in complicated APN patients was statistically significantly longer than that with simple APN patients (4.3 vs. 3.4 days, 4.4 vs. 4.0 days). If flank pain and costovertebral angle tenderness sustain over 4 days, proper radiologic studies should be performed immediately with the consideration of surgical procedure. Also the resistance to antibiotics was increasing. As the sensitivities to ampicillin (27.2%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (44.7%) of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were very low, it is necessary to take the careful choice of antibiotics into consideration.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Ampicillin/therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance ; Escherichia coli Infections/drug therapy/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Klebsiella Infections/drug therapy/etiology ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pyelonephritis/complications/*diagnosis/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/diagnosis/etiology ; Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Combination/therapeutic use