This 8-month-old male infant was admitted with a six-week history of recurring episodes of vomiting and watery, mucoid, blood-streaked bowel movements. The week prior to admission his abdomen became distended.
The other six children in the family were well.
On admission, he was lethargic and pale. His rectal temperature was 38.4 °C. His abdomen was moderately distended and a firm, tender, smooth and round 7-cm mass was felt in the epigastrium. The liver was palpable 2 cm below the right costal margin. Blood, urine, and stool cultures yielded no organisms. An abdominal roentgenogram (Fig 1) and ultrasonogram (Fig 2) were obtained.
Denouement and Discussion
Amebic Liver Abscess
Amebic liver abscess occurs in children less than 3 years of age more frequently than in older children.1 Although amebic liver abscess is a relatively