Pyogenic liver abscess: Differences in etiology and treatment in Southeast Asia and Central Europe

Knowledge of etiology and timely treatment of underlying causes, when possible, play an important role in the successful therapy of patients with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Recent publications from Central Europe and Southeast Asia hint at considerable differences in etiology. In this article, we aim to elaborate these differences and their therapeutic implications. Apart from some special types of PLA that are comparable in Southeast Asia and Central Europe (such as posttraumatic or postprocedural PLA), there are clear differences in the microbiological spectrum, which implies different risk factors and disease courses. Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) PLA is predominantly seen in Southeast Asia, whereas, in Central Europe, PLA is typically caused by Escherichia coli, Streptococcus or Staphylococcus, and these patients are more likely to be older and to have a biliary abnormality or malignancy. K. pneumoniae patients are more likely to have diabetes mellitus. Control of septic spread is crucial in K. pneumoniae patients, whereas treatment of the underlying diseases is decisive in many Central European PLA patients.

Bile duct cyst in adults: Interventional treatment, resection, or transplantation?

Cystic dilatations of the bile ducts may be found along the extrahepatic biliary tree, within the liver, or in both of these locations simultaneously. Presentation in adults is often associated with complications. The therapeutic possibilities have changed considerably over the last few decades. If possible, complete resection of the cyst(s) can cure the symptoms and avoid the risk of malignancy. According to the type of bile duct cyst, surgical procedures include the Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy and variable types of hepatic resection. However, the diffuse forms of Todani type V cysts (Caroli disease and Caroli syndrome) in particular remain a therapeutic problem, and liver transplantation has become an important option. The mainstay of interventional treatment for Todani type III bile duct cysts is via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The diagnostic term “bile duct cyst” comprises quite different pathological and clinical entities. Interventional therapy, hepatic resection, and liver transplantation all have their place in the treatment of this heterogeneous disease group. They should not be seen as competitive treatment modalities, but as complementary options. Each patient should receive individualized treatment after all of the clinical findings have been considered by an interdisciplinary team.

Neuroendocrine liver metastases: Contributions of endoscopy and surgery to primary tumor search

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are diagnosed with increasing frequency and patients often present with liver metastases at the time of diagnosis. Apart from treatment of the metastases, resection of the primary tumor at an early phase is recommended to prevent complications, although it may be difficult to locate, especially in patients with functionally inactive NETs. Small and multifocal tumors in the jejunum and ileum represent a particular challenge. Primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma is extremely rare and is diagnosed only after exclusion of other primary tumors. Therefore, some uncertainty may remain, as small non-hepatic primary tumors may escape detection. Diagnostic work-up in these patients includes biochemical assays and imaging modalities (also comprising specific techniques of scintigraphy and positron emission tomography). This editorial highlights the contributions of endoscopy and operative exploration to the search for the primary tumor. Besides esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy, special endoscopic techniques such as balloon enteroscopy or capsule endoscopy are used with growing experience. Compared with balloon enteroscopy, capsule endoscopy is non-invasive and better tolerated, but it cannot localize a lesion precisely and does not allow biopsy or removal of lesions. Before proceeding to surgery, a discussion of the findings by a tumor board should be a standard procedure. Improvements in diagnostic tools have created new perspectives for the detection of obscure primary tumors in patients with neuroendocrine liver metastases, and these searches are best coordinated by a multidisciplinary team.

Are our endoscopy patients at risk for pyogenic liver abscess?

This is an editorial comment on a recent publication reporting an increased rate of pyogenic liver abscesses (PLAs) after upper gastrointestinal panendoscopy. Its aim is to critically highlight the findings, limitations and potential clinical implications of this study. Issues of the mucosal barrier, the microbial flora, administration of antibiotics and underlying diseases are discussed. The probability of PLAs after endoscopies is not exactly known and the length of the “incubation period” remains unclear, but a possible causality should already suffice to make us think how to avoid them. Especially in patients with risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, end-stage renal disease, liver cirrhosis, biliary tract infection, and malignancies, the potential risk for PLAs should be considered. Unnecessary insufflation during endoscopy (causing mucosal stretching and microscopic tears) as well as mucosal damage (by direct abrasion with the scope) should be avoided in order to limit the invasiveness of the procedure as much as possible. And, in everyday routine, it should be kept in mind that in patients after endoscopy, especially in those with a breach of the mucosal barrier and significant comorbidities, PLAs can potentially develop and require timely administration of antibiotics as well as further diagnostic and therapeutic steps.