Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of liver abscess: 6 years experience in Lagos State university teaching hospital, Lagos

Introduction: Liver abscesses, both amoebic and pyogenic, continue to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical countries. The management has improved significantly over the years with the advent of potent antimicrobial agents and advances in diagnostic imaging. Materials and Methods: From August 2007 to May 2013, 32 patients with liver abscess were referred to the Department of Radiology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria for ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration or drainage. All patients had been treated with antibiotics or antimicrobials for at least 2 weeks before referral and were still being continued for another 6 weeks. Results: A total of 32 patients with liver abscess were successfully treated, consisting 31 males and 1 female. The age ranged from 2 to 72 years with a mean of 43.6 years. A total of -22 (68.75%) patients had percutaneous catheter drainage, while 12 (31.25%) had percutaneous needle aspiration. A total of 15 (46.87%) patients had single abscess, while 5 (15.63%) had two and 12 (37.50%) had more than 2. Most of the abscesses are located on the right in 25 (78.12%). One needle insertion was used per patient. The amount of aspirated pus ranged from 100 to 3000 mL with a mean of 850 mL. Only 10 (31.25%) patients were on admission at the time of drainage, while the others 22 (68.75%) were day cases. Conclusion: We found that needle aspiration and catheter drainage when combined with chemotherapy represents a successful therapeutic approach in the treatment of liver abscess whether pyogenic or amoebic.