Intra-Abscess Administration of Antibiotics Through Ultrasound–Guided Percutaneous Catheter for the Treatment of Pyogenic Liver Abscess

Pyogenic liver abscess is a potentially life-threatening disease. The treatment of a pyogenic liver abscess usually involves ultrasound guided percutaneous drainage because of the poor penetration of the systemic administration of antibiotics inside the abscess. However, a sizable proportion of patients will necessitate surgical interventions, which involves high peri- and post-operative risks. Theoretically, the local instillation of antibiotics inside the pyogenic liver abscess fluid could achieve a high concentration of the antibiotic for a long period of time. This could be especially beneficial for time-dependent bactericidal antibiotics such as beta-lactams, because their bactericidal effectiveness depends on the amount of time that bacteria are exposed to the antibiotic. We are reporting two patients with complicated pyogenic liver abscesses, who were successfully treated with systemic antibiotics and local instillation of meropenem inside the cavities of the abscesses. These cases suggest that the local instillation of the beta-lactam antibiotics could be an effective and a safe strategy for the treatment of pyogenic liver abscesses that cannot be completely drained through an ultrasound guided percutaneous catheter.