A Case of Glanulomatous Abscess of the Liver due to Penetration by Fish Bone

Hiroshi Matsuzaki, Toshiyuki Kikuchi*, Masanori Ichinose, Harufumi Makino, Kaichi Isono

Department of Surgery II, Chiba University School of Medicine *Kikuchi Hospital

An extremely rare case of liver abscess due to penetration by a fish bone is presented. A 56-year-old man visited our department with the complaint of right upper abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonography, CT and MRI revealed a tumor in liver segment 6. Based on these findings, we diagnosed this tumor as hepatocellular carcinoma. In laparotomy we found a granulomatous abscess of the liver due to the penetration by a fish bone through the duodenum. We removed the fish bone and sutured of the site of penetration of the duodenum. A total of 384 cases of intestinal perforation or penetration by fish bone have been reported in Japan, and only 7 of them, including our case, were cases of penetration to the liver. Although it is difficult to correctly diagnose this disease, in cases of penetration to the liver, it seems to be possible by finding linear calcification in the lesion on diagnostic imaging.

Key words
perforation or penetration of fish bone, granulomatous abscess of the liver, duodenum

Reprint requests
Hiroshi Matsuzaki Department of Surgery II, Chiba University School of Medicine
1-8-1 Inohana, Chyuoku, Chiba, 261 JAPAN

Accepted
January 11, 1995

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