Hepatic resection due to a fish bone

• Published in: International journal of surgery case reports 2021-04, Vol.81, p.105722, Article 105722
• Main Authors: Costa Almeida, Carlos E., Caroço, Teresa, Silva, Marta, Baião, José Miguel, Guimarães, Andreia, Ângelo, Miguel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Report; Foreign body; Hepatic abscess; Liver resection; Pyogenic
• ISSN: 2210-2612; 2210-2612
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.105722

•Hepatic abscess due to a foreign body is rare.•Diagnosis is difficult since symptoms are non-specific.•Stomach and duodenum are the common sites of perforation.•Antibiotics with abscess drainage and foreign body removal is the most frequently used treatment.•Hepatic resection is rarely needed, but surgeons must be aware of its possibility. Hepatic abscess due to foreign body is rare. Diagnosis is difficult and drainage may not be enough. Hepatic resection may be indicated. A 76yo male patient resorted to the emergency room because of fever and abdominal pain. Abdominal CT diagnosed a hepatic abscess in the left lobe due to a fishbone. Percutaneous and surgical drainage failed. Laparotomic hepatic resection was necessary. The patient was discharged asymptomatic. Liver abscess due to foreign body usually occur in the left lobe. Drainage and removal of the foreign body are mandatory and can be achieved either by percutaneous or surgical drainage. Resection is rarely indicated but sometimes is the only way. The authors found only ten cases of hepatic resection due to pyogenic abscess because of a foreign body. Hepatic resection is rarely needed to treat a pyogenic abscess, but surgeons must be aware and able to proceed with it.