Amebic liver abscess: fine needle aspiration diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the findings in fine needle aspiration (FNA) of an amebic liver abscess (ALA).

STUDY

DESIGN

Seven patients (6 men and 1 woman between 52 and 60 years of age) treated for amebic dysentery with multiple liver lesions were selected for ultrasound (US)-guided FNA. The clinical differential diagnosis was malignancy. Abdominal US of the patients revealed multiple, variably sized, well-defined, hypoechoic, cystic liver lesions. FNA of these lesions was performed.

RESULTS

Smears of the aspirated material showed necrotic material with mixed inflammatory cells and Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites consisting of round blue bodies with well-defined borders containing a single, eccentrically located nucleus with central karyosome and engulfed red blood cells in the cytoplasm. There were also Charcot-Leyden crystals. ALA was diagnosed.

CONCLUSION

FNA can yield the correct diagnosis of ALA and allows early initiation of treatment. ALA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of space-occupying lesions of the liver.