Hepatic abscess following foreign body perforation of the colon: A case report

Abstract

Liver abscess following foreign body perforation of the gastrointestinal tract is uncommon. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging as the ingestion of foreign body most often goes unnoticed with non-specific presentation. We report a case of a 68-year-old male patient presenting with abdominal pain and anorexia. His investigations and cross-sectional imaging revealed a liver abscess. A colonoscopy performed to find an etiology revealed an incidental finding of a colonic perforation from an impacted denture, which was successfully removed endoscopically. Therefore, pyogenic liver abscesses remain a therapeutic challenge despite advances in imaging and therapy. The case reflects the importance of investigating for etiology of unexplained liver abscesses. The patient made an uneventful recovery following abscess drainage by image-guided pigtail stent insertion. The colonic perforation was managed conservatively.