KEY FACTS
Terminology
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Localized pus collection in liver due to Entamoeba histolytica with destruction of hepatic parenchyma
Imaging
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General feature
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Most often solitary (85%), peripherally located
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Ultrasound
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Sharply demarcated, round or ovoid mass
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Hypoechoic with low-level internal echoes
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May see internal septa or wall nodularity
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May see posterior acoustic enhancement
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CECT
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Typically hypoattenuating unilocular lesion
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Peripheral rim or capsule enhancement
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May see hypodense halo due to edema
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Top Differential Diagnoses
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Hepatic metastasis (post treatment, cystic, or necrotic)
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Hepatic pyogenic abscess
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Hepatic hydatid cyst
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Biliary cystadenoma/cystadenocarcinoma
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Infarcted liver after transplantation
Pathology
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Entamoeba histolytica
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Primary source of infection: Human carriers passing amebic cysts into stool
Clinical Issues
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Right upper quadrant pain, tender hepatomegaly, diarrhea with mucus
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Indirect hemagglutination positive in 90% of cases
Scanning Tips
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Rule out pyogenic or fungal abscess, cystic lesions
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Check for history of transplantation, ablation, or chemotherapy for liver tumor or metastasis, which may simulate amebic abscess on imaging