Study of ultrasound-guided needle aspiration and catheter drainage in the management of liver abscesses

Efficacy of Tounongsan decoction on pyogenic liver abscess: network pharmacology and clinical trial validation

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing the effect of Tounongsan decoction (, TNS) on the pyogenic liver abscess.

METHODS

Based on oral bioavailability and drug-likeness, the main active components of TNS were screened using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology platform. The GeneCard and UniProt databases were used to establish a database of pyogenic liver abscess targets. The interactive network map of drug-ingredients-target-disease was constructed using Cytoscape software (Version 3.7.2). A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and the related protein interaction relationships were analyzed. biological process of gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed for the core targets. Finally, a clinical trial was performed to verify the reliability of the network pharmacology.

RESULTS

Forty active components of TNS decoction were obtained, and 61 potential targets and 11 proteins were identified. Pathways involved in the treatment of pyogenic liver abscess include the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases-protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT), advanced glycation end products-receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways. The results of network pharmacology analysis combined with clinical trials validated that TNS decoction could alleviate the inflammatory response of pyogenic liver abscesses by decreasing interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels.

CONCLUSIONS

TNS decoction has the characteristics of being multi-system, multi-component, and multi-target. Active ingredients in TNS, such as quercetin, kaempferol, fisetin, and β-sitosterol, have strong potential to be candidate drugs for treating pyogenic liver abscesses. The possible mechanism of TSN decoction includes regulating immune and inflammatory responses and reducing IL-6 production to control inflammatory development.

EUS-guided versus percutaneous liver abscess drainage: A multicenter collaborative study

Background and Objectives

Management of hepatic abscesses has traditionally been performed by image-guided percutaneous techniques. More recently, EUS drainage has been shown to be efficacious and safe. The aim of this study is to compare EUS-guided versus percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) of hepatic abscesses.

Methods

Patients who underwent EUS-guided drainage or PCD of hepatic abscesses from January 2018 through November 2021 from 4 international academic centers were included in a dedicated registry. Demographics, clinical data preprocedure and postprocedure, abscess characteristics, procedural data, adverse events, and postprocedure care were collected.

Results

Seventy-four patients were included (mean age, 63.9 years; 45% male): EUS-guided (n = 30), PCD (n = 44). Preprocedure Charlson Comorbidity Index scores were 4.3 for the EUS group and 4.3 for the PCD group. The median abscess size was 8.45 × 6 cm (length × width) in the EUS group versus 7.3 × 5.5 cm in the PCD group. All of the abscesses in the EUS group were left-sided, whereas the PCD group contained both left- and right-sided abscesses (29 and 15, respectively). Technical success was 100% in both groups. Ten-millimeter-diameter stents were used in most cases in the EUS group, and 10F catheters were used in the PCD group. The duration to resolution of symptoms from the initial procedure was 10.9 days less in the EUS group compared with the PCD group (P < 0.00001). Hospital length of stay was shorter in the EUS group by 5.2 days (P = 0.000126). The EUS group had significantly fewer number of repeat sessions: mean of 2 versus 7.7 (P < 0.00001) and trended toward fewer number of procedure-related readmissions: 10% versus 34%. The PCD group had a significantly higher number of adverse events (n = 27 [61%]) when compared with the EUS group (n = 5 [17%]; P = 0.0001).

Conclusions

EUS-guided drainage is an efficacious and safe intervention for the management of hepatic abscesses. EUS-guided drainage allows for quicker resolution of symptoms, shorter length of hospital stay, fewer adverse events, and fewer procedural sessions needed when compared with the PCD technique. However, EUS-guided drainage may not be feasible in right-sided lesions.

Therapy of pyogenic liver abscess with a primarily unknown cause

Purpose

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a collection of pus in the liver, often without a known direct cause. There is discord on the best diagnostic and therapeutic strategy. We aimed to examine these questions in our patient cohort.

Methods

A total of 66 out of 309 patients with PLA at our tertiary referral center between 2012 and 2020 had a primarily unknown cause. We analyzed PLA configuration, comorbidities, and whether an underlying cause could be found later. Therapy was sorted by antibiotics alone, percutaneous drainage, and primary surgery. Success was assessed by a change of initial therapy, in-hospital mortality, and mean hospital stay.

Results

Overall mortality was 18%; in 55%, a causative condition could be found. CRP, GGT, size, and multiple localization go along with higher mortality. Antibiotics alone had a failure rate of 82%. Percutaneous drainage was successful in 70% of cases. Surgery was mainly reserved for failed previous non-surgical treatment and had in-hospital mortality of 12%.

Conclusions

PLA goes along with high mortality. In the majority of all patients, a causative condition can be identified by detailed diagnostics. Percutaneous drainage together with antibiotics is the therapy of choice and is successful in 70% of cases. If drainage is insufficient or impossible, surgery is an effective alternative.

Large Solitary Pyogenic Liver Abscesses: A Review of Their Management at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background and objective

Liver abscesses are one of the common surgical diseases to be treated as an emergency in any tertiary care hospital in India. The formation of abscesses in the liver is still a major problem and associated with significant morbidity in developing countries. We come across all types of liver abscesses, such as amoebic (most common), pyogenic, mixed, and occasionally fungal. There have been several studies on the percutaneous modality of treatment for pyogenic liver abscesses. Most of the studies suggest that percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) offers a better approach than aspirations for treating pyogenic liver abscesses. However, a few recent studies suggest that percutaneous aspiration leads to equally good results when compared to percutaneous drainage. In this study, we aimed to review the management of solitary large pyogenic liver abscesses and to assess the effectiveness of ultrasonography (USG)-guided aspiration in the procedure. 

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out at the Department of General Surgery of our institute. In this study, a total of 27 patients treated for solitary pyogenic liver abscess were included. All patients with a large liver abscess greater than 5 cm without the features of frank peritonitis were included. These patients were followed up regularly for six months.

Results

The single-attempt USG-guided aspiration was successful in 70.3% of patients. Repeat USG-guided aspiration was performed in 18.5% of patients. In 7.4% of patients, a USG-guided percutaneous pigtail catheter was placed. And only 3.7% of cases required exploratory laparotomy. 

Conclusion

Based on our findings, USG-guided aspiration is a fairly efficient method for treating a large solitary pyogenic abscess with acceptable results, shorter hospital stays, and minimal complications.

Comparison of ultrasound-guided puncture drainage and incision drainage for deep neck abscess

Background

Deep neck space abscess is a common disease in otolaryngology-head, and neck surgery emergencies that result in significant morbidity with potential mortality. Traditional incision drainage with antibiotics is widely accepted worldwide. Recent studies have shown that ultrasound-guided drainage is an effective strategy and is less invasive for patients. The present study aimed to explore the difference between puncture and drainage guided by B-ultrasound and traditional surgical incision in treating deep neck space abscess.

Methods

A total of 60 patients with deep neck abscess were enrolled in the present study; 43 were distributed to the B-ultrasound puncture drainage group and 17 to the incision drainage group. Clinical data were collected, and differences between the 2 treatment options were compared.

Results

There were no differences in patients' systemic illness, age, and clinical features (diameter of an abscess, amount of drainage in first 3 days, and body temperature). The cure rate of both groups was 100%; the number of hospitalization days of the B-ultrasound-guided puncture group (8 days) was significantly less than that of the incision drainage group (10.8 days).

Conclusions

Puncture drainage of neck abscess guided by B-ultrasound is a safe and effective treatment method and can reduce the patient's hospital stay.

Ultrasound and non-ultrasound imaging techniques in the assessment of diaphragmatic dysfunction

Diaphragm muscle dysfunction is increasingly recognized as an important element of several diseases including neuromuscular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diaphragm dysfunction in critically ill patients. Functional evaluation of the diaphragm is challenging. Use of volitional maneuvers to test the diaphragm can be limited by patient effort. Non-volitional tests such as those using neuromuscular stimulation are technically complex, since the muscle itself is relatively inaccessible. As such, there is a growing interest in using imaging techniques to characterize diaphragm muscle dysfunction. Selecting the appropriate imaging technique for a given clinical scenario is a critical step in the evaluation of patients suspected of having diaphragm dysfunction. In this review, we aim to present a detailed analysis of evidence for the use of ultrasound and non-ultrasound imaging techniques in the assessment of diaphragm dysfunction. We highlight the utility of the qualitative information gathered by ultrasound imaging as a means to assess integrity, excursion, thickness, and thickening of the diaphragm. In contrast, quantitative ultrasound analysis of the diaphragm is marred by inherent limitations of this technique, and we provide a detailed examination of these limitations. We evaluate non-ultrasound imaging modalities that apply static techniques (chest radiograph, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging), used to assess muscle position, shape and dimension. We also evaluate non-ultrasound imaging modalities that apply dynamic imaging (fluoroscopy and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging) to assess diaphragm motion. Finally, we critically review the application of each of these techniques in the clinical setting when diaphragm dysfunction is suspected.