Elsevier

Clinical Imaging

Volume 30, Issue 1, January–February 2006, Pages 63-65
Clinical Imaging

Case report
Thrombophlebitis of the hepatic veins: complication of a Klebsiella liver abscess

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2005.07.021Get rights and content

Abstract

Among the various causative agents of an abscess of the liver, Klebsiella is a frequent and well-known cause, and its imaging findings have been described in the past decades. We report two cases of this type of abscess, which were of interest because of associated findings indicating a subhepatic thrombophlebitis of the liver, a process which could have explained the development of a concomitant pulmonary infectious process.

Section snippets

Case 1

A 42-year-old man, without any significant medical history or immunodeficiency, presented with fever, dyspnea and pain in the area of the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. The biological data indicated the presence of an inflammatory syndrome. A radiograph of the chest demonstrated scattered opacities of the infectious type involving two pulmonary areas, without pleural effusion. Ultrasonography (US) of the liver revealed a partially necrotic formation, with a thick wall, surrounded by

Discussion

Pyogenic abscesses of the liver are rather infrequent, with an annual incidence of 2.3 cases per 100,000 [1]. These develop often in immunodeficient or diabetic patients; a pathological process involving the biliary system is also a favoring factor. The clinical and biological findings and their radiological images are well known [2] and lead to an early diagnosis and treatment.

There are several bacteria that cause pyogenic abscess: aerobic enterobacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae

References (6)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (16)

  • Clinical and CT comparative study of invasive and non-invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses

    2023, Clinical Radiology
    Citation Excerpt :

    In this case, the infection can spread to multiple tissues and organs throughout the body via the blood, forming a disseminated abscess. Maffiolo et al.20 reported two cases of hepatic vein thrombophlebitis caused by KPLA, and raised the question of whether the thrombosis did not facilitate the diffuse and severe pulmonary dissemination. The present study found that the incidence of invasive hepatic vein thrombophlebitis was significantly higher than that in N-IKPLA (53.85% and 4%, respectively).

  • Analysis of clinical and CT characteristics of patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses: An insight into risk factors of metastatic infection

    2015, International Journal of Infectious Diseases
    Citation Excerpt :

    The main reason for the difference could be that our study only included patients with KPLA who underwent contrast enhanced CT and drainage. Thrombophlebitis of the hepatic veins is a common complication of KPLA.18,19 We observed that abscess was present closer to the veins, which had thrombophlebitis.

  • Atlas of Liver Pathology, Thrid Edition

    2010, Atlas of Liver Pathology, Thrid Edition
  • Atlas of Liver Pathology, Fourth Edition

    2023, Atlas of Liver Pathology, Fourth Edition
View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text