Surgical Research
Open AccessLIVER ABSCESSES: Epidemiology and Management in the Surgery Department of the N’zérékoré Regional Hospital, Concerning 97 Cases
Authors: Sylla H, Barry AM, Camara FL, Toure I, Balde TM, Sylla A, Diallo AA, Toure A.
Abstract
A liver abscess is a collection of pus in a newly formed cavity at the expense of hepatic tissue, which is destroyed or displaced [1].
Methodology: Retrospective, descriptive 5-year study from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020.
Results: The frequency of liver abscesses relative to all pathologies managed was 2.23%. The average age of the patients was 39.32 years.
The male sex was the most affected with 87.63%. Fifty-nine point eight percent (59.8%) of cases came from rural areas, and 40.20% of the cases were farmers. Pain in the right hypochondrium or epigastrium was the main reason for consultation found in everyone. Abdominal ultrasound for all cases was the examination of choice for a positive diagnosis. Liver abscesses were located in the right lobe in 52.5%. The course of the disease was uncomplicated in 74.22% of cases. The recorded complications consisted of parietal suppuration in 13.4% and postoperative peritonitis in 2.06%. We recorded a 9.27% mortality rate. The average length of hospital stay was 12 days, with extremes of 7 and 33 days.
Conclusion: Liver abscess is a disease of young adults, common in men. Self-medication and consulting traditional practitioners are at the origin of delayed diagnosis and treatment.
Multidisciplinary collaboration and training of medical staff in imaging such as abdominal ultrasound and CT scans could certainly promote early diagnosis. The multifactorial prognosis impacts the management, which must be prompt and appropriate.
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