A Case of Hepatic Abscess that Formed Secondary to Fish Bone Penetration

Kazuyuki Mizunuma, Hirofumi Nakatsuka, Tsuguo Fujitaka, Shintaro Nakashima, Toshiyuki Itamoto* and Toshimasa Asahara*

Department of Surgery, Kure City Medical Association Hospital
Department of Surgery, Division of Frontier Medical Science, Programs for Biomedical Research,
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University*

We report a case of hepatic abscess that developed secondary to penetration by a fish bone. A 53-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of right upper abdominal pain and fever and percutaneous abscess drainage was performed under ultrasonographic guidance. An abscess was diagnosed in liver segment 6. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a hepatic abscess with a high echoic and a linear high density area, suggesting a foreign body. At laparotomy we diagnosed a hepatic abscess secondary to penetration through the duodenum by a fish bone. Although hepatic abscesses secondary to fish bone penetration are rare, it is important to find an area of linear calcification of a lesion by diagnostic imaging.

Key words
hepatic abscess, fish bone

Reprint requests
Kazuyuki Mizunuma Department of Surgery, Kure City Medical Association Hospital
15-24 Asahi-machi, Kure, 737-0056 JAPAN

Accepted
April 26, 2006

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