Successful treatment of fish bone perforation of the duodenum with hepatic abscess formation and literature review

Symptomatic gastrointestinal foreign bodies are a common clinical event. Some patients can develop complications, such as gastrointestinal obstruction, perforation etc., and rarely the secondary hepatic abscess can also occur. A 45-year-old male was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain for 1 month and high fever for 6 days. He was diagnosed with hepatic abscess formation due to perforation of the digestive tract by a foreign body. This diagnosis was confirmed when the patient underwent surgery and the foreign body was identified as a fish bone. The fish bone was removed by laparotomy and the patient recovered uneventfully. Based on this case and the currently available literature, we recommend that endoscopic or surgical treatment should be initiated as soon as possible after detection of symptomatic gastrointestinal foreign bodies. Such intervention is important in reducing the risk of perforation of the digestive tract, as well as hepatic abscess formation.