First successful treatment of Clostridium perfringens-associated emphysematous hepatitis: a case report

Abstract

Emphysematous diseases of the abdomen are rare with an often inconspicuous presentation of symptoms and rapid lethal outcome if untreated. We report the first successfully treated case of Clostridium perfringens-associated emphysematous hepatitis. In the emergency room, a 79-year-old man presented with shortness of breath and deteriorated general condition since the morning of admission. Initial CT scans showed a small but rapidly expanding gas collection in liver segment 6. Emergency surgery with atypical liver resection was performed immediately. With early resection and prolonged administration of antibiotics in the presence of sepsis, the patient recovered successfully and was discharged 37 days after admission. As in our case, prompt diagnosis with early surgical treatment is crucial for the management of emphysematous hepatitis.

Survival in a Case of Emphysematous Cholecystitis With Sepsis Caused by Clostridium perfringens

“…A literature search was performed in Ichushi and PubMed using the keywords “ Clostridium perfringens ” and “sepsis.” A total of 227 reported articles published from January 2000 to August 2023 were examined. Finally, 64 cases of hepatobiliary infection consisting of 63 reported cases and our case were compared based on survival (Table 3 ) [ 3 , 6 - 63 ]. The cases were divided into two groups based on survival, and factors, including age, sex, diabetes mellitus, cancer status, clindamycin use, and removal of infected foci, were compared (Table 4 ).…”