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Case Reports: Unusual presentation of more common disease/injury
Delayed perihepatic abscess caused by Cutibacterium acnes following right partial hepatectomy
  1. Theresa Omolara Emeli1 and
  2. Richard Serrao2
  1. 1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  2. 2Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA
  1. Correspondence to Ms Theresa Omolara Emeli; theresa.emeli{at}tufts.edu

Abstract

We describe a case of a man in his 70s who presented with tachycardia and several weeks of right lower quadrant pain 3 months after partial right hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Initial laboratory findings were significant for elevated C reactive protein and normal white cell count. CT revealed right pleural effusion and 5.8 cm fluid collection with air pocket adjacent to the surgical margin of the partial hepatectomy. Aspirate of the fluid collection grew Cutibacterium acnes. Following percutaneous drainage and a short course of antibiotics, the patient recovered with eventual radiologic and symptomatic improvement. This, to the best of our knowledge, is one of two cases where C. acnes was involved in a possible delayed presentation of a surgical site infection after hepatic surgery.

  • Nosocomial infections
  • Hepatic cancer
  • Surgical oncology
  • Gastrointestinal surgery
  • Biliary intervention

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-247279

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors TOE and RS contributed equally in the research, writing and editing that lead to the creation of this report.

    • 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.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.