Case Report
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2007; 13(41): 5530-5532
Published online Nov 7, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i41.5530
Hepatic abscess secondary to a rosemary twig migrating from the stomach into the liver
Aleksandar R Karamarkovic, Srdjan P Djuranovic, Nada P Popovic, Vesna D Bumbasirevic, Ana D Sijacki, Ivan V Blazic
Aleksandar R Karamarkovic, Ana D Sijacki, Ivan V Blazic, Center for Emergency Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Srdjan P Djuranovic, Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Nada N Popovic, Vesna M Bumbasirevic, Institute of Anaesthesiology, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Aleksandar R Karamarkovic, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Head of Department of Surgery III, University Center for Emergency Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Pasteur Str.2, Belgrade 11000, Serbia. smnm@Eunet.yu
Telephone: +381-64-1279250 Fax: +381-11-3065604
Received: May 15, 2007
Revised: July 28, 2007
Accepted: August 17, 2007
Published online: November 7, 2007
Abstract

The ingestion of a foreign body that penetrates the gastric wall and migrates to the liver, where it causes an abscess is uncommon. A case of an ingested rosemary twig perforating the gastric antrum, then migrating to the liver, complicated by hepatic abscess and Staphylococcus aureus sepsis is reported. A 59-year-old man without a history of foreign body ingestion was admitted to our hospital because of sepsis and epigastralgia, which had progressively worsened. No foreign body was identified at preoperative imaging, but a rosemary twig was discovered during laparotomy. The liver abscess and sepsis were controlled successfully with surgery and antibiotics. This unusual condition should be kept in mind when dealing with cases of hepatic abscess, or even sepsis of unknown origin. Despite the improvement of non-surgical techniques such as percutaneous drainage and interventional endoscopy, surgery still remains important in the treatment of hepatic abscess caused by an ingested foreign body.

Keywords: Foreign Body; Gastrointestinal perforation; Hepatic Abscess; Ingestion; Migration