Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2010; 16(38): 4871-4875
Published online Oct 14, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i38.4871
Clinical significance of C-reactive protein values in antibiotic treatment for pyogenic liver abscess
Hai-Nv Gao, Wen-Xia Yuan, Mei-Fang Yang, Hong Zhao, Jian-Hua Hu, Xuan Zhang, Jun Fan, Wei-Hang Ma
Hai-Nv Gao, Wen-Xia Yuan, Mei-Fang Yang, Hong Zhao, Jian-Hua Hu, Xuan Zhang, Jun Fan, Wei-Hang Ma, State Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Yuan WX, Yang MF and Zhao H collected all the clinical data; Hu JH and Zhang X were involved in statistical data analysis; Fan J provided financial support for this work and was also involved in editing the manuscript; Ma WH and Gao HN designed the study and wrote the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Wei-Hang Ma, MD, State Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. yinzihan@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-571-87236721 Fax: +86-571-87236755
Received: May 17, 2010
Revised: July 5, 2010
Accepted: July 12, 2010
Published online: October 14, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the clinical significance of C-reactive protein (CRP) values in determining the endpoint of antibiotic treatment for liver abscess after drainage.

METHODS: The endpoints of antibiotic treatment in 46 patients with pyogenic liver abscess after complete percutaneous drainage were assessed by performing a retrospective study. After complete percutaneous drainage, normal CRP values were considered as the endpoint in 18 patients (experimental group), and normal body temperature for at least 2 wk were considered as the endpoints in the other 28 patients (control group).

RESULTS: The duration of antibiotic treatment after complete percutaneous drainage was 15.83 ± 6.45 d and 24.25 ± 8.18 d for the experimental and the control groups, respectively (P = 0.001), being significantly shorter in the experimental group than in the control group. The recurrence rate was 0% for both groups. However, we could not obtain the follow-up data about 3 patients in the control group.

CONCLUSION: CRP values can be considered as an independent factor to determine the duration of the antibiotic treatment for pyogenic liver abscess after complete percutaneous drainage.

Keywords: Liver abscess; C-reactive protein; Antibiotic treatment; Drainage; Retrospective studies