Open AccessIsolated liver tuberculosis abscess in a patient without immunodeficiency: A case report
Author(s) -
Karim Ibn Majdoub Hassani
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
world journal of hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 55
ISSN - 1948-5182
DOI - 10.4254/wjh.v2.i9.354
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , liver abscess , abscess , differential diagnosis , abdomen , lung , lung abscess , pathology , radiology , surgery
Although hepatic tuberculosis is not a rare disease entity, tubercular liver abscess (TLA) is extremely rare. It is usually associated with foci of infection either in the lung and/or gastrointestinal tract or with an immunocompromised state. An isolated or primary TLA with no evidence of tuberculosis elsewhere is even rarer. We report on a 28 year old man who developed an isolated tuberculous liver abscess not associated with lung involvement. Ultrasonography and computed tomography of the abdomen showed the abscess lesions in the liver but the diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed by histological examination of the wall of the abscess after surgical drainage. Although tuberculous liver abscess is very rare, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of abscess and unknown hepatic mass lesions.