Pylephlebitis: case report and literature review

Abstract

We present the case of a 50-year-old man who comes to the emergency department of Dos de Mayo Hospital, Lima, Peru, with fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea and jaundice. An intestinal infection arises as initial diagnosis. He is referred to the area of Internal Medicine where various laboratory tests and imaging studies were conducted, including an abdominal computerized tomography scan. The scan confirmed the diagnosis of pylephlebitis; treatment with antibiotics and anticoagulant therapy was immediately established. Response and evolution were favorable.

Pylephlebitis

“…Although the pathogenesis of pylephlebitis is not yet well-established, it has been associated with a hypercoagulability state and bacterial translocation, specially by gram-negative bacteria such as Bacteroides fragilis , Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Proteus mirabilis and Enterobacter spp . 3 …”