[Studies on liver abscesses (author's transl)].

The authors report 25 observations of liver abscesses in the same service over a 5 years period. Diagnostic difficulties are pointed out and the value of echography, a simple and well tolerated examination, are emphasized immunologic studies allow the differentiation of the two types off liver abscesses i.e., pyogenic and amoebic, thus orientating their different treatments. The treatment of pyogenic abscesses (12 cases) is chiefly surgical, supported with suitable antibiotic therapy. Amoebic abscesses require medical treatment in collected abscesses of little or mean volume. In our series the number of patients requiring surgery is important (13 cases). This is due to persisting residual pouches or to the absence of well defined cliical improvement with medical treatment and the occurence of pre-burst or burst symptoms.