Rupture is one of main complications of liver abscess. Seventy-seven patients with rupture of liver abscess are reviewed. Liver abscess may freely rupture into adjacent structures or organs or serous cavities and cause vatious complications. The causative factors of rupture of liver abscess in this series were late medical consultation in the course of the disease, delayed treatment due to misdiagnosis, and improper treatment. Measures that prevent rupture of liver abscess include raising clinical awareness of early diagnosis and timely effective drainage. The authors consider that transperitoneal surgical drainage is the best approach. Most patients with rupture of liver abscess should be treated by surgical drainage togather with transomental or transumbilital veno-catheterization for antibiotic infusion. Patients with rupture of liver abscess usually present a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate. The mortality in this group was 35.1%(27/77), which is closely related to the complications of the rupture of liver abscess.
Abstract： Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of eight DNM patients treated at Tangdu Hospital between 2006 and 2009 year. There were 7 males and 1 female aged from 21-98 years with a median age of 49.5 years. The diagnostic criteria included clinical manifestations, neck and chest CT scans, and bacteriological culture. Six of the patients had odontogenic infections and six had diabetes. Antibiotic treatment, incision drainage, and other symptomatic treatments were applied. Two patients received cervical incision drainage, five received thoracotomy, and one received video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Results After treatment, six patients recovered and two died of heart failure and neck vessel rupture. According to the bacterial culture, six patients presented mixed infections, and four of these presented mixed aerobic and anaerobic infections. The mean operation time was 75.6 minutes, the average volume of pus removed during the operation was 318.7 ml, and the average inpatient stay was 18 days. At six months follow-up, all six surviving patients showed improvements in quality of life. Conclusion The valid diagnosed criteria of DNM include history, sign, symptom, neck and chest CT scanning, and secretion culture.DNM mortality can be reduced by employing broad spectrum antibiotics early in treatment, individual surgical managements, and effective treatments for complicating illnesses.
Descending necrotizing mediastinitis （DNM）is a severe infection spreading from the cervical or odontoiatric region to the mediastinum through the anatomic cervical spaces. DNM is very rare but fatal. The course of the illness proceeds rapidly and the mortality rate is high. The pathogenic process is closely related to anatomical and physiological characteristic of cervix and mediastinum. The most valuable way for decreasing its high mortality rate is to give early diagnosis and treatments. Computed tomography(CT) scan is especially important method in early diagnosis.The early and enough use of broad spectrum antibiotics, individual surgical management based on neck and chest CT, such as clearing necrotic tissues,drainage and flushing are all effective methods to decrease mortality rate. Related management , such as department of stomatology, head and neck surgery, thoracic surgery,intensive care unit, and infectious department,should give cooperative therapy when necessary. At the same time, more attention should be paid to the patients who have some systemic disease such as diabetes mellitus and whose physical constitutions are very poor, which could lead to DNM and worsening. It can help to decrease the incidence rate of fatal complications and to increase cure rate.
Objective To formulate an evidence-based treatment plan for a patient with suspected pyogenic liver abscess. Methods Based on the clinical questions raised by a patient with suspected pyogenic liver abscess, we searched The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2007), MEDLINE (1996 to January 2008), ACP Journal Club (1991 to January 2008), and Chinese Journal Full-text Database (1994 to January 2008) for systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-control studies. The quality of the included studies was assessed. Results We did not find any systematic reviews or large-scale RCTs involving a comparison between laparoscopic drainage and surgical drainage in the treatment of pyogenic liver abscess. Four clinical retrospective studies closely related to our questions were found and assessed. These studies concluded that laparoscopic drainage for liver abscesses was a safe alternative for patients requiring surgical drainage. Based on the current evidence, as well as our clinical expertise and the patient’s values, laparoscopic drainage was not used for this patient and surgical drainage was applied. The patient was recovered and discharged. Conclusion Current evidence showed that laparoscopic drainage might be effective and safe for liver abscesses but high-quality large-scale randomized controlled trials are still required.