Case Reports: Liver Abscess in Preterm Newborns Following Umbilical Venous Catheters

Neonatal liver abscess carries a high mortality and is difficult to diagnose. We report three cases of preterm infants with liver abscesses related to umbilical venous catheters. Our aim is to highlight the possibility of liver abscess in neonates and advocate extreme care in placement of umbilical venous catheters. We retrospectively reviewed records of 3 cases diagnosed as liver abscess. All cases were preterm babies admitted to the Neonatal Unit-Maternity Hospital-Kuwait. All abscesses were related to insertion of umbilical venous catheters. One case was suspected due to persistence of elevated inflammatory markers despite good general condition. The other 2 cases were suspected when abdominal X- ray taken for abdominal distension and suspected NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) showed gas shadow within the liver. Liver abscesses were treated successfully with antibiotics without surgical drainage.