Clinical Management of Pyogenic Liver Abscesses

Abstract

Pyogenic liver abscesses are rare but if handled inappropriately can be life-threatening. Early experiences with the management of these liver abscesses yielded high morbidity and mortality. However, over the last three decades, treatment has moved away from surgery as the front-line therapy and has evolved to include less invasive interventional radiologic procedures. This change in paradigm has been accompanied by shorter length of hospital stay and decreased morbidity and mortality. Despite these findings in the general population, patients that develop pyogenic liver abscesses following a liver transplant have a much higher morbidity and mortality, with some ultimately requiring retransplantation. When managed appropriately and in many cases with a multi-modality approach, patients with pyogenic liver abscesses can achieve excellent clinical outcomes.