Successful treatment of a hepatic abscess that formed secondary to fish bone penetration by percutaneous transhepatic removal of the foreign body: report of a case

Abstract

We describe herein the case of a hepatic abscess that developed secondary to fish bone penetration which was successfully treated without laparotomy. A 61-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a high fever that had persisted for 2 weeks in spite of medication. Abdominal ultrasonography (AUS) and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a hepatic abscess with a linear calcified foreign body and gas. Percutaneous abscess drainage was performed under ultrasonographic guidance. After drainage, the patient became afebrile, and AUS and CT findings demonstrated that the abscess cavity had decreased in size, but still contained the foreign body. Under ultrasonographic guidance and fluoroscopy, we inserted endoscopic forceps into the sinus tract and succeeded in removing the foreign body from the liver. It was found to be a fish bone that was 2.8 cm long and 0.3 cm wide.