Tuberculous Liver Abscess in a Case Without Lung Involvement

• Main Authors: Shou-Wu Lee, Han-Chung Lien, Chi-Sen Chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2010-02-01
• Series: Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
• Subjects: abscess; liver; tuberculosis
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1607551X10700152

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.