Hepatic abscess mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with alcoholic liver disease

Clinical course, diagnosis and therapy of hepatic abscesses have been changed for several decades according to development of imaging modalities, antibiotics and treatment technique. Although, recently, the incidence of amebic hepatic abscess has been decreasing in developed countries, pyogenic hepatic abscesses still often occur. While hepatic abscesses may present with various imaging findings according to the degree of maturation and internal contents, it is very rare that hepatic abscess radiographically mimics malignant hepatic tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, in such case, it could be challenging to correctly distinguish between hepatic abscess and HCC. We report a case of hepatic abscess that radiographically mimicked HCC, and was not accompanied by typical clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of abscess.