Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 26, Issue 2 , Pages 99-104, February 2010

Tuberculous Liver Abscess in a Case Without Lung Involvement

  • Shou-Wu Lee

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Shou-Wu Lee, Division of Gastroenterology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 160 Chungkang Road, Section 3, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Han-Chung Lien
    • ,
  • Chi-Sen Chang

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

Received 13 April 2009; accepted 27 May 2009.

Article Outline

Hepatic tuberculosis is an uncommon form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, particularly when it presents in the form of liver abscess. Here, we report a 64-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital having experienced intermittent chills for 3 months. Aspiration of the liver abscess revealed neither bacteria nor acid-fast bacilli, but pus and granulation tissue were found. Antituberculous therapy was started empirically and cultures of the abscess confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 3 weeks later. We suggest that tuberculous liver abscess should be considered in patients not showing typical features or who fail to respond to antibiotics.

Key Words:  abscess , liver , tuberculosis

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PII: S1607-551X(10)70015-2

doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(10)70015-2

Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 26, Issue 2 , Pages 99-104, February 2010

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