%0 Journal Article
%T Analysis of clinical and CT characteristics of patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses: an insight into risk factors of metastatic infection.
%A Chang Z
%A Zheng J
%A Ma Y
%A Liu Z
%J Int J Infect Dis
%V 33
%N 0
%D Apr 2015
%M 25555624
%F 12.074
%R 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.12.041
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To compare the clinical and CT characteristics of patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess (KPLA), with or without metastatic infection.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Clinical information (age, sex, clinical symptoms, underlying disease, hematological parameters, abscess-related mortality) and CT characteristics of abscesses were analyzed to investigate associations with metastatic infection. Metastatic infections were divided into septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) and extra-pulmonary metastatic infection (EMI).<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>We identified 66 consecutive patients with KPLA. Metastatic infection occurred in 22/66 patients (33.3%); 8/66 (12.1%) patients had SPE, 6/66 (9.09%) patients had EMI; and 8/66 (12.1%) patients had both SPE and EMI. Patients with SPE were younger than patients without SPE (47.7±13.7 y vs.55.6±12.0 y; p=0.03). Unilocular abscess was significantly more common in patients with SPE than the non-SPE group (43.75% vs 18.0%, p=0.036). The mean maximal diameter of EMI was 56.5±21.3 mm and was significantly smaller than that of the non-EMI which was 79.9±31.4 (p=0.011). SPE was significantly associated with development of EMI (50% vs 17.3%, p=0.011).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Unilocular liver abscess is associated with SPE, and SPE is strongly associated with EMI among patients with KPLA. A maximal diameter of KPLA<55 mm can be used as a predictor of EMI.