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PubMed2000

[Tubercular psoas abscess].

HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 43-year-old patient suffered from fatigue, nocturnal sweating, rigor and a weight loss of 5 kg over the last 4 weeks. A year before he had been anaemic and he was treated with omeprazole and iron. On admission physical examination was unremarkable, except for the known swelling in the right flank. His general condition was good. INVESTIGATIONS: Computed tomography showed an extensive abscess of the right psoas muscle with deplacement of the right ureter, causing hydronephrosis, and infiltration of the abdominal wall. Cytological and bacteriological tests of the abscess aspirate indicated tuberculosis. TREATMENT AND COURSE: The abscess markedly shrank within 2 months of starting antituberculosis treatment, which was continued for another 4 months. A catheter, which had been inserted into the right ureter to relieve hydronephrosis, was remowed without further complications. CONCLUSION: Because of an increase in the number of immigrants from countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis or HIV infection, extrapulmonary tuberculosis should be included in the differential diagnosis, such as in this case of a psoas muscle abscess. Despite the size of the abscess surgical intervention is rarely required because it will heal under appropriate antituberculosis treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Enlargement of a chronic aseptic lumbar epidural abscess by intraspinal injections--a rare cause of progressive paraparesis.

The frequent use of invasive procedures at the spinal cord such as epidural injections has led to an increased incidence of iatrogenic abscesses. We report the case of a patient who suffered from low back pain. During epidural lumbar injections of steroids the patient developed severe radicular symptoms, resulting in severe paraparesis. We demonstrate the rare cause of this progressive deterioration, being a combination of a preexisting chronic aseptic epidural abscess and an iatrogenic enlargement by repeated epidural injections. MR-Scans demonstrated a mass lesion at the L4/5 vertebral level, which was surgically removed. Histological evaluation revealed the presence of a chronic aseptic spinal epidural abscess with acute bleedings. Histology and MR-Data disclosed multiple deposits of the applied drug within the abscess and in the surrounding paravertebral soft tissue. The authors prove that the cause of the neurological deterioration was due to epidural injections into a preexisting lumbar chronic aseptic epidural abscess. Harmful and unpleasant complications may occur following epidural injections. Though we present a very rare cause of such complications, a careful monitoring of the neurological status of the patient is necessary as well as the early application of MR imaging in the case of deterioration.

Disease Progression↗
PubMed2001

Ultrasound-guided aspiration of brain abscesses through a single burr hole.

Surgical aspiration and/or drainage of brain abscesses is considered to be the first-line treatment for abscesses larger than 25 mm. This is ususally performed with the aid of CT-guided stereotaxy. A method of ultrasound guidance is presented that allows a single burr hole approach with real-time imaging of the whole procedure. A bayonet-like shaped ultrasound probe with tip dimension of 8 x 8 mm only (EUP-NS 32, Hitachi/Ecoscan) with frequencies of 3.5 and 5 MHz is used. After placement of a burr hole the target is identified by transdural insonation, a guideline is adjusted and a mounted puncture-adapter guides the cannula towards the lesion under real-time imaging control. Up to now 12 abscesses in 10 patients were treated. Visualization was always excellent. A second aspiration had to be performed twice. One abscess did not contain enough pus to be cured by aspiration and was removed by open surgery, another could not be tapped by the blunt cannula and was aspirated under stereotactic control using a sharp trocar. Outcome was excellent in 6 patients and fair in 2 patients but this was due to the pre-existing disease. Two patients admitted in deep coma died despite an emergency operation. The presented method has proven to be a very powerful guiding tool in the surgical treatment of brain abscesses through a single burr hole approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Drainage of deep pelvic abscesses using therapeutic echo endoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of endosonographically guided transrectal aspiration and drainage by plastic stent of deep pelvic abscesses, using a therapeutic echo endoscope device. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 2000 and June 2001, 12 patients (nine men, three women, mean age 67 years) were treated for a perirectal or a pelvic abscess using an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) technique. The drainage of these fluid collections was performed under EUS guidance, using therapeutic EUS scopes with a large working channel. RESULTS: No major complication occurred during this study. Transrectal stent insertion succeeded in nine patients. In three patients, only aspiration was possible. Among the nine patients in whom a stent was successfully introduced into the fluid collection, complete drainage without relapse was achieved in eight patients (mean follow-up 10.6 months, range 6-14 months). The stent was removed endoscopically after 3 to 6 months. Drainage was incomplete in one patient (with a large abscess, diameter > 8 cm), who subsequently underwent surgical drainage. However, two out of the three patients in whom aspiration alone was performed developed a recurrence of the abscess and required surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: EUS-guided drainage of deep pelvic abscesses could offer an alternative treatment to surgery in the management of these postoperative complications.

Abscess↗
PubMed2003

[Intramedullary abscess of the spinal cord--a rare pathology. Case report, therapeutic regimen and review of the literature].

Although the presence of an intramedullary abscess of the spinal cord is extremely rare, it is most important to be aware of its existence in the differential diagnosis of neurological diseases. Existing neurological deficits with progressive symptoms of paraplegia should always be regarded as suspect and a differential diagnosis of an intramedullary abscess of the spinal cord should then be included in the therapeutical regimen. A correct diagnosis using MR-tomography followed by an early surgical treatment strategy are essential for the affected patients, simply because an early diagnosis and an immediate operative intervention represent decisive prognostic factors independent from the cause of infection. Surgical intervention must include a decompressive laminectomy, a myelotomy, and also a secure intraoperative abscess drainage. In this analysis two patients will be reported on, both of whom were already showing symptoms of paraplegia at the time they were admitted to hospital. In both cases MR-tomographically an intramedullary nodulary lesion of the spinal cord could be detected. However, due to a complete lack of any acute symptoms of inflammatory reaction in one patient, an intramedullary abscess was not actually diagnosed before surgical treatment was performed. These two cases, together with existing scientific literature, aim to present an overview of the pathogenesis, the clinical symptomatology, the treatment strategy, and the expected therapeutical outcome of an intramedullary abscess formation. It will be shown that by treating this disease as early as possible using adequate therapeutic interventions a functional improvement of the resulting neurological symptoms can be expected.

Abscess↗
PubMed2003

A case of pregnancy complicated by the development of a tubo-ovarian abscess following in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

Tubo-ovarian abscess is an uncommon complication in pregnant women. In this report, we present a patient who developed a tubo-ovarian abscess during pregnancy following in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Despite treatment with intravenous antibiotics she delivered at 22 weeks of gestation. After delivery, she underwent a left salpingo-oophorectomy. Review of the literature revealed only 26 reported cases of tubo-ovarian or pelvic abscess during pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease, previous laparotomy, and structural genital anomalies are known risk factors for pelvic abscess during pregnancy. Pelvic abscess resulting as a complication of vaginal oocyte retrieval has been reported. Therefore, although enabling women with organic pelvic disease such as endometriosis and hydrosalpinx to achieve pregnancy, assisted reproductive techniques may potentially result in pelvic infection during pregnancy. This case suggests that a preconception evaluation and treatment for such conditions should be considered for women undergoing treatment for infertility.

Abscess↗
PubMed2003

Treatment of post-appendectomy intra-abdominal deep abscesses.

The treatment of acute appendicitis in children is sometimes followed by complications including intra-abdominal abscess, for which the traditional treatment is surgical drainage. We evaluated the efficacy of antibiotic management compared to classic surgical treatment. This retrospective study investigated 22 children from 5 to 13 years of age with one or many abscesses after appendectomy, treated between 1992 and 2002. Eleven received surgery and the other 11 were treated with triple antibiotherapy. The two groups were comparable. Surgery was efficient in 36% of cases and complications occurred in 64% of cases (digestive fistula, intraperitoneal abscess, gaseous gangrene and septic shock). Average hospital stay in this group was 16.7 days. In the other group, medication was efficient in 91% of cases; a recurrent abscess was operated and a residual stercolith, which was maintaining the infection, was removed. The average hospital stay in this group was 10.4 days. Medical treatment of intraperitoneal abscess seems to be effective. Hospitalisation is shorter with medical management and complications are rare. Therefore, medication may be proposed in most cases, except when there are residual foreign bodies or stercoliths. Poor patient status and septic shock are the two other contraindications, because antibiotherapy is not immediately efficient.

Abdominal Abscess↗
PubMed1998

[Percutaneous abscess drainage in Crohn disease].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the success of percutaneous, CT-guided abscess drainage (PAD) in patients with Crohn's disease. METHODS: Within the last 5 years 8 patients with Crohn's disease were treated by PAD for intra-abdominal abscesses. A fistula was determined to be the cause in 4 patients. The abscesses arose spontaneously in 7 patients while one patient had a postoperative abscess. We used single lumen 10 F- and double lumen 12 F- and 14 F-catheters for drainage (duration of drainage 8-20 days). RESULTS: In all cases the abscess was successfully drained by PAD. However, an operation-free interval of at least three months was achieved in only two patients. A healing of the fistula was not attained in any of the 4 patients with a proven fistula. No enterocutaneous fistulas arose within the course of PAD. CONCLUSIONS: PAD is also useful for patients with Crohn's disease since it improves the starting situation for the necessary operative interventions. In most cases (especially with enterogenic fistulas), however, a long-lasting therapeutic result cannot be expected.

Abdominal Abscess↗
PubMed1988

Asymptomatic myocardial abscess.

This report describes a rare case of an asymptomatic myocardial abscess which was not associated with infective endocarditis but was diagnosed to be a tumor and treated by open-heart surgery. A 69-year-old patient without a history of endocarditis or myocardial infarction was submitted to invasive cardiac diagnostics after an embolic event in the brachial artery. Investigation revealed an "intracardiac tumor" and the patient subsequently underwent open-heart surgery. After cardiotomy the suggested tumor was found in the posterior wall of the left atrium adjacent to the mitral ring, appearing as a circumscribed, indurated, and plane area. After incision for biopsy, a cheesy pus emptied from a cavity. The tissue sections showed an intramural myocardial abscess. Because of the extent, location and the character of the abscess, the cavity was closed after rinsing using mattress sutures. The postoperative course was uncomplicated. This report demonstrates that in suspected cardiac tumors a myocardial abscess should be considered in any differential diagnosis despite the rarity of the event, since the diagnosis of the myocardial abscess is not an absolute indication for surgical intervention.

Abscess↗
PubMed1996

Stereotactic aspiration and drainage of brain abscesses. Experience with 9 cases.

The first-line treatment for brain abscesses is still a much-debated argument. Recently, stereotactic aspiration of these lesions has gained ground as a valid alternative to the traditional medical and/or surgical therapeutical treatments. From 1991 to 1995, 9 patients affected by intracranial abscesses were surgically treated by stereotactic puncture of the lesion and drainage of pus, using the Kelly-Goerss stereotactic system. Multiple abscesses were present in one case. Specific antibiotic therapy was used in the post-operative stage, when possible. One death occurred four weeks after surgery for acute ischemia of the brain stem. Follow-up CT demonstrated gradual resolution of the abscesses in all the cases and a successful return to normal daily life in all the surviving patients. In one case, recurrence of the abscess occurred two months after resolution: a successful result was obtained by steroids and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy alone. Possible advantages of this technique are discussed and compared with the traditional routes. The literature concerning this argument is reviewed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Endoscopic treatment of brain abscess in children.

Three children with intracerebral abscesses were treated endoscopically. Two of the treated abscesses were located in the left temporal lobe and one in the right parietal lobe. The presenting symptoms included headaches, seizures, hemiparesis and signs of infection. Burr hole craniotomy, insertion of a peelaway sheath, obtaining of a specimen, introduction of endoscope, and complete irrigation under view was performed. After this a draining catheter was positioned in the abscess. All three abscesses grew multiple organisms. The patients received longstanding intravenous treatment with antibiotics. The follow-up period in this group ranges between 5 and 32 months. The initial neurological deficits were relieved in all three patients. The follow-up MRI studies revealed minor residual changes without evidence of significant sequelae. Neuroendoscopic treatment of brain abscesses has additional advantages compared to stereotactic aspiration or more complete drainage and lavage.

Brain Abscess↗
PubMed1997

Greater omentum flaps and granulocyte transfusions as combined therapy of liver abscess in chronic granulomatous disease.

We report the case of a 17-year-old boy with gp91phax-deficient chronic granulomatous disease who developed a liver abscess due to Staphylococcus aureus. Despite treatment with appropriate antibiotics and gamma interferon for three months as well as incision and drainage, the abscess persisted unchanged in size. After surgical debridement, the abscess cavity was filled with two pedunculated greater omentum flaps as a direct feeder road of granulocytes to the infectious focus. An average of 48.5 x 10(9) granulocytes a day harvested from G-CSF-prestimulated donors were transfused for a total of 8 days without side effects. Ultrasound 3 months later showed no residual abscess. Combination of greater omentum flaps and transfusion of G-CSF-prestimulated granulocytes may be the optimal treatment for liver abscesses refractory to conventional therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Percutaneous catheter drainage of abdominal abscesses: a five-year experience.

We used computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography for detection and localization of intra-abdominal abscesses. On the basis of these images, safe routes for diagnostic aspiration and percutaneous drainage were planned. Over these routes indwelling catheters were inserted to provide immediate decompression, evacuation, and continuous drainage until the abscess resolved. All patients received concomitant intravenous antibiotics. The treatment was used for 71 abscesses in 67 patients. Sixty-one abscesses (86 per cent) were satisfactorily drained. There were 11 complications (15 per cent). Six deaths were attributable to sepsis, three of which (4 per cent) were related to inadequate drainage. There was one recurrence (1 per cent) during a follow-up period ranging from one month to five years (means, 22.3 months). The mean duration of treatment was 20.2 days (range, five to 120 days). We conclude that percutaneous drainage is an effective method for treatment of abdominal abscesses and is indicated when sectional imaging demonstrates an accessible unilocular lesion.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2005

Transient interference with staphylococcal quorum sensing blocks abscess formation.

The staphylococcal virulon is controlled largely by the agr locus, a global accessory gene regulator that is autoinduced by a self-coded peptide (AIP) and is therefore a quorum sensor. The agr locus has diverged within and between species, giving rise to AIP variants that inhibit heterologous agr activation, an effect with therapeutic potential against Staphylococcus aureus: a single dose of an inhibitory AIP blocks the formation of an experimental murine abscess. As the AIP is unstable at physiological pH, owing to its essential thiolactone bond, its single-dose efficacy seems paradoxical, which has led us to analyze the in vivo kinetics of agr activation and the consequences of its blockage by a heterologous AIP. Initially, the infecting bacteria grow rapidly, achieving sufficient population density within the first 3 h to activate agr, and then enter a neutrophil-induced metabolic eclipse lasting for 2-3 d, followed by agr reactivation concomitantly with the development of the abscess. The inhibitory AIP prevents agr expression only during its short in vivo lifetime, suggesting that the agr-induced and therefore quorum-dependent synthesis of virulence factors shortly after infection is necessary for the subsequent development of the abscess lesion and bacterial survival. We confirm this finding by showing that a sterile agr+ supernatant causes a sterile abscess similar to the septic abscess caused by live bacteria. These results may provide a biological rationale for regulation of virulence factor expression by quorum sensing rather than by response to specific host signals.

Abscess↗
PubMed2004

Transoral approach to drain streptococcus pneumoniae spinal epidural abscess in an HIV-infected adult.

Spinal epidural abscess due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is extremely rare in adults. It typically occurs in the thoracic, lumbar or lumbosacral epidural spaces, and less frequently in the cervical epidural space. The principal causative microbial agent is Staphylococcus aureus, representing 70% of cases, while 1.6% of cases are caused by S. pneumoniae. We report the first case of an HIV-infected patient with a cervical spinal epidural abscess. The patient was a 43-year-old male with pneumococcal bacteremia and a metatarsal abscess. He reported cervical pain with muscle spasm during cephalic flexion and extension, fever and a painful tumefaction on the second metatarsal of the left foot. MRI confirmed that the retropharyngeal abscess extended to the cervical spinal epidural space. Antibiotic therapy with cefotaxime plus vancomycin was initiated and a transoral surgical approach was used to achieve retropharyngeal and local debridement of the metatarsal abscess. Blood and pus cultures were positive for S. pneumoniae. After 4 months of follow-up the patient remained asymptomatic, without clinical or MRI evidence of recurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage: a retrospective comparison of abscess- and elective tonsillectomy.

CONCLUSION: There is no increased risk of postoperative haemorrhage for abscess tonsillectomies in comparison to elective tonsillectomies. OBJECTIVE: There is still controversy as regards the optimal management of peritonsillar abscess. Opponents of tonsillectomy à chaud cite an increased postoperative bleeding risk. Most authors who compared the risks of postoperative haemorrhage after tonsillectomy à chaud and tonsillectomy à froid did not take into consideration criteria such as the age and gender of the patients or the experience of the surgeon. We aimed to eliminate this bias by performing a retrospective study in which a large series of abscess tonsillectomies were compared with an age- and gender-matched group of elective tonsillectomies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients had been operated on at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Duisburg-Essen between March 1994 and August 2000. There were 350 patients in the abscess tonsillectomy group (61% male, 39% female; mean age 31.8 years; range 3-88 years) and 311 in the elective tonsillectomy comparison group (61% male, 39% female; mean age 30.0 years; range 2-83 years). RESULTS: In the abscess tonsillectomy group, 9 patients (2.6%; confidence level 1.1-4.8%) had postoperative haemorrhages which required treatment under general anaesthesia, compared to 17 (5.5%; confidence level 3.2-8.6%) in the age- and gender-matched group of "selected" elective tonsillectomies. The difference between these two rates was not significant (p = 0.056). The fairly high rate of haemorrhages in the elective tonsillectomy group was mainly due to the effect of the age-matching procedure, which excluded a considerable number of usually unproblematic tonsillectomies for tonsillar hyperplasia in young children. Moreover, our results show that there is a learning curve for surgeons performing tonsillectomies with regard to postoperative haemorrhages.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Fourth branchial pouch sinus with recurrent deep cervical abscesses successfully treated with trichloroacetic acid cauterization.

A previously healthy 13-year-old girl presented with a left-sided deep cervical abscess. A CT scan demonstrated an abscess in the lower neck, anterior to the common carotid artery. Treatment with i.v. antibiotics and incision drainage resolved the condition. A recurrence of the abscess 7 months later was treated identically. Further investigations with MRI showed a 2-3-mm wide, 10-mm long structure in the lateral aspect of the left thyroid lobe. A barium radiograph depicted a narrow, 20-mm long fistula originating from the left pharynx. At endoscopy a 2-3-mm wide opening was found at the left pyriform sinus apex. This, together with the radiological findings, verified the diagnosis of a 4th branchial pouch sinus. The recurrence of the abscess may have been due to contamination by infectious pharyngeal secretions. Although radical surgical excision is traditionally recommended for this condition a non-invasive treatment, namely chemocauterization with 40% trichloroacetic acid (TCA), was chosen in this case. Three cauterizations were needed to close the pyriform sinus opening. To date (Month 14) there has been no recurrence of the cervical abscesses. TCA chemocauterization seems to be a safe first-line treatment for patients with a pyriform sinus fistula.

Abscess↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of the metal-binding anticandidal activities of serum and abscess fluid supernatants.

Serum transferrin appears to play a role in host defense by competing with invading microorganisms for iron. The purpose of the present study was to compare this activity to a similar one recently described in abscess fluids and based on a calcium- and zinc-binding protein called calprotectin. Serum and abscess fluid supernatants were collected and pooled from groups of five to 10 C57BL/6 mice with experimental Candida albicans abscesses; serum was also collected from normal animals. In four experiments, serum was found to reduce in vitro C. albicans growth in Sabouraud glucose broth by a mean of 97.9% at 10 mg ml-1 of protein; this effect was reversed by adding 3-10 microM FeCl3, but not by similar amounts of ZnSO4. Abscess fluid supernatants had a greater effect, reducing growth by 99.9% at 1 mg ml-1 and 76.1% at 0.1 mg ml-1 of total protein; this effect was reversed by 3-10 microM ZnSO4, but not FeCl3. Although abscess fluid supernatants were effective when high inocula (10,000 yeast cells) were used, serum from the infected mice inhibited growth only with lower inocula (10-100 yeast cells). In a separate study, serum from infected mice (eight pools) reduced growth (by a range of 36 to 97%), whereas serum from normal mice (five pools) actually enhanced growth in this system (by a range of 173 to 595%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abscess↗