Amoebic liver abscess in children (study of 47 cases observed from 1964 to 1979 in the clinic of pediatrics of Kinshasa University) (author's transl)

This retrospective study of hepatic amoebiasis cases observed in the clinic of Pediatrics from 1964 to 1979 brings evidence of its low frequency in children. The disease is mainly observed in young patients from 1 to 6 years (76,5%) and specially in males. Suspected from the evidence of a tender and enlarged liver associated with fever, the diagnosis is rapidly confirmed by a highly positive specific serology. Prognosis is severe with complications in 7% and death in 15% of the cases. Treatment is essentially medical and based on metronidazole. Surgical treatment has few indications which have been recently fixed by Nussaume and Cherbonnel.