The diagnosis of intrasplenic abscess during treatment of acute leukaemia

Modern procedures for the diagnosis of splenic abscess are reviewed with emphasis on the role of the microbiology laboratory; techniques made available by the departments of radiology and nuclear medicine are also assessed. The review is supported by two detailed case histories, one associated with Esch. coli septicaemia in a patient with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), and a second case associated with Aeromonas hydrophilia infection which occurred in a patient in remission of acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML).