This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on Web of Science (3)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

PATRICK C. SHEA, Jr., M.D.; WILLIAM D. HOLDEN, M.D.

Arch Surg. 1948;57(6):843-848.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

SUBPHRENIC abscess, although infrequent, is a grave complication of abdominal suppuration. During the past fifteen years, the introduction of antibiotic preparations and the use of an extraserous type of surgical drainage have contributed to the successful management of patients with subphrenic abscess. The mortality rate, however, remains higher than should reasonably be expected. There are many factors which contribute to a high mortality rate in this disease, and we believe that a discussion of such factors may be of benefit. Diagnosis has been notoriously difficult and localization of the abscess almost conjectural. The time interval between the onset of intraperitoneal suppuration and the diagnosis of subphrenic abscess is unduly long. A successful extraperitoneal drainage requires familiarity with the anatomy of the subdiaphragmatic spaces and careful avoidance of contamination of the pleural and peritoneal cavities.

This report includes 40 cases seen during the past twelve years at University Hospitals of Cleveland. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
ATLANTA, GA.; CLEVELAND

From the Department of Surgery, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?