Article Text
Abstract
Hepatic brucelloma (HB), a rare manifestation of brucellosis, refers to liver involvement in the form of abscess. A 35-year-old woman stockbreeder was admitted due to 1-month history of evening fever, sweating and weight loss, while she was on 3-week course of rifampicin/doxycycline for suspected brucellosis. On admission, she had hepatosplenomegaly and a systolic murmur, while cholestasis, increased inflammation markers and a strong-positive Wright-Coombs test were the main laboratory findings. As blood and bone marrow cultures were unrevealing, further investigation with CT imaging showed a central liver calcification surrounded by heterogeneous hypodense area being compatible with HB. Material from CT-guided drainage tested negative for Brucella spp. After failure to improve on a 10-week triple regiment, surgical excision was decided and Brucella spp were identified by PCR. Our case highlights challenges in establishing HB diagnosis, which should be considered on the right epidemiological context and when serological and radiological evidence favour its diagnosis.
- general practice / family medicine
- infectious diseases
- medical management
- occupational and environmental medicine
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Footnotes
Contributors GND and EIR had the original idea, designed the study and along with GV wrote the first draft of the manuscript. GV and EIR collected and summarised the published literature and the data of the patient. GND, EIR and GV were the principal treating physicians and made the clinical diagnosis while KT made the surgery and followed the patient. GND, EIR and KT made the final critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.