Systemic infection and splenic abscess.

Splenic abscess is a rare complication of systemic infection, sometimes associated with infective endocarditis. Due to its rarity and nonspecific symptoms, diagnosis is difficult. Antibiotic therapy alone is usually unsuccessful, and definitive treatment requires splenectomy, although percutaneous ultrasound-guided drainage has been successful in some patients. Abdominal computed tomography scans and ultrasound evaluation are usually diagnostic. We present two patients with treatment-resistant sepsis who were found at autopsy to have splenic abscess.