Hepatic and splenic abscesses--a common complication of intensive chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A prospective study.

In order to determine the frequency of hepatosplenic abscesses in AML patients during chemotherapy and to evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of this complication we performed a prospective study over a 28-month period. Fifty-five consecutive patients with de novo AML or relapse who received intensive chemotherapy underwent regular ultrasound examinations. In 16 patients (29.1%) hepatic and/or splenic abscesses were detected sonographically. Histopathological evidence for abscess formation was obtained in five of these 16 patients. In three patients granulation tissue and in one patient necrotizing granulomas were found. Causative micro-organisms were proven in only three patients: Candida hyphae were demonstrated in one patient, gram-positive cocci in another. Bacteria and fungi were seen in the tissue specimen of the third patient. Patients with hepatosplenic abscesses had significantly prolonged fever after neutrophil recovery but did not differ from patients without abscesses in any other laboratory or clinical features. Due to the absence of specific alerting clinical and laboratory signs and symptoms of hepatosplenic abscesses, routine ultrasound examination is required for detection of this complication. The presence of hepatic and/or splenic abscesses does not necessarily worsen the prognosis, but it may influence the decision on further chemotherapy and antimicrobial treatment.