Isolated tuberculous liver abscess in an immunocompetent patient

Abstract EN

-Tuberculous liver abscesses are rare and are usually associated with disease involving other organs.

In 1952 Leader made an extensive review of the world literature and documented 80 cases ofhepatic tuberculosis with large abscesses or nodules In most of these cases tubercu)()-sis was present elsewhere ill the body.

An isolated tuber-culous liver abscess is very rare and only 21) cases have been reported in the English language literature to date.

Diagnosis is often delayed or missed because of non-specific symptomatology and the rare occurrence.

we (le-scribe a case of an isolated tuberculous liver abscess in an immunocompetent patient.

Key words: Tuberculosis, /اد،’ا'ا; hepatic abscess Case report: In October 1994 a 42-year-old male was admitted to Hamad General Hospital complaining of right upper quadrant abdomi-nal pain of 20 days duration.

The pain was increased on taking a deep breath.

There was no associated fever, cough or short-ness of breath.

His past history was unremarkable except for urinary bilharziasis during childhood.

On initial physical (imination his temperature was 37°c, blood pressure 110/70 mm Hg, pulse rate 88/minute; there was decreased air entry into the right lung base and tenderness in the right lower intercostal spaces and right upper abdominal quadrant.

Laboratory investigations reported haemoglobin 13.7 gm/dL, white blood cell count 11,700 /mm3, platelets 43/000,ق أس, erythrocyte sedimentation rate 3 mm/hour, aspartate tran-saminase 31IU/L, alanine transaminase 46IU/L, alkaline phos-phatase 131 IU/L and total bilirubin 12 umol/L.

Blood culture was negative.