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A Persistent Problem

Donald J. Krogstad, MD; G. Leland Melson, MD; George R. Healy, PhD

Arch Intern Med. 1981;141(1):20-21.

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

The case report in this issue, by Kovaleski and his colleagues (see p 132), raises a number of important questions about the diagnosis and treatment of amebiasis.

The critical clinical problems were (1) the known difficulties in diagnosing invasive amebic disease, and (2) a false-negative ultrasonogram of the liver. It is well established that most patients with amebic liver abscess have negative stool examinations for Entamoeba histolytica.¹ In addition, the diagnosis of amebiasis, based on morphologic criteria, is one of the most demanding tests in the clinical laboratory² and, like other morphologic tests, is inherently insensitive. Thus, this case report both reinforces the value of serologic studies in the diagnosis of amebic liver abscess² and illustrates problems in the detection of amebic infection that are by no means unique to one institution.

The false-negative ultrasonogram in the patient described by Kovaleski et al raises the question . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Washington University School of Medicine 660 S Euclid Ave St Louis, MO 63110; Center for Disease Control Atlanta

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