Friday, February, 10, 2012

Pyogenic liver abscess

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Liver abscess; Bacterial liver abscess


Symptoms
  • Clay-colored stool
  • Dark urine
  • Fever, chills
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea, vomiting
  • Pain in right upper abdomen (more common) or throughout the abdomen (less common)
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Weakness
  • Yellow skin (jaundice)

Signs and tests

Tests may include:

  • Abdominal CT scan
  • Abdominal ultrasound
  • Bilirubin blood test
  • Blood culture for bacteria
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Liver biopsy
  • Liver function tests
  • White blood cell count

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)