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Intra-abdominal infection (IAI, also spelled intraabdominal) is a group of infections that occur within the abdominal cavity. They vary from appendicitis to fecal peritonitis . [ 1 ] Risk of death despite treatment is often high.
Pneumoperitoneum is pneumatosis (abnormal presence of air or other gas) in the peritoneal cavity, a potential space within the abdominal cavity.The most common cause is a perforated abdominal organ, generally from a perforated peptic ulcer, although any part of the bowel may perforate from a benign ulcer, tumor or abdominal trauma.
A liver abscess is a mass filled with pus inside the liver. [1] Common causes are abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or diverticulitis due to haematogenous spread through the portal vein. [2] It can also develop as a complication of a liver injury.
Secondary peritonitis and intra-abdominal abscesses including splenic and hepatic abscesses generally occur because of the entry of enteric micro-organisms into the peritoneal cavity through a defect in the wall of the intestine or other viscus as a result of obstruction, infarction or direct trauma.
The final structure of the abscess is an abscess wall, or capsule, that is formed by the adjacent healthy cells in an attempt to keep the pus from infecting neighboring structures. However, such encapsulation tends to prevent immune cells from attacking bacteria in the pus, or from reaching the causative organism or foreign object. [26]
Sterile abdominal surgery, under normal circumstances, causes localised or minimal generalised peritonitis, which may leave behind a foreign body reaction or fibrotic adhesions. However, peritonitis may also be caused by the rare case of a sterile foreign body inadvertently left in the abdomen after surgery (e.g., gauze, sponge).
It also causes bacteremia [12] associated with intra-abdominal infections, peritonitis and abscesses following rupture of viscus, and subcutaneous abscesses or burns near the anus. [13] Though it is gram negative, it has an altered LPS and does not cause endotoxic shock. Untreated B. fragilis infections have a 60% mortality rate. [6]
Common causes of an acute abdomen include a gastrointestinal perforation, peptic ulcer disease, mesenteric ischemia, acute cholecystitis, appendicitis, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, and an abdominal hemorrhage. However, this is a non-exhaustative list and other less common causes may also lead to an acute abdomen. [2]