Chronic subphrenic abscess

Abstract A patient with a puzzling chronic illness associated with weight loss and hepatomegaly is presented. A hepatic photoscan demonstrating complete lack of radioactive uptake in the entire right lobe of the liver confused the diagnosis. The diagnosis of subphrenic abscess was finally established at surgical exploration. This case demonstrates some of the limitations of hepatic photoscanning in the diagnosis of subphrenic abscess. The success achieved in this case further substantiates the effectiveness of the direct transthoracic approach for drainage of a right suprahepatic abscess.