Tuberculous Abscess and Empyema of the Liver

ABSTRACT

We have experienced a case of tuberculous abscess of the liver with empyema in a 12 years old boy. He was admitted with the chief complaints of pain and mass in the right upper abdomen of about 1 month duration and intermittent mild fever for 15 days. On examination, liver was palpable 5 cm below the right costal margin, and was tender and firm. Liver scan showed a cold area in the right posterior upper part of the liver. With the needle aspiration of the liver, 240 ml of yellowish-green pus was aspirated. The stained smears of the pus showed a large number of acid-fast bacilli, and the culture revealed a growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Our patient was cured successfully by the drainage of pus with the needle aspiration of the liver and antituberculous medication. We have presented here a rare case whose the diagnosis was made without the help of any operative procedure, and reviewed the literatures.