Clostridium perfringens splenic abscess treated with percutaneous drainage and antibiotic therapy: a case report

Introduction: Splenic abscesses are a rare medical entity with high mortality, with Clostridium perfringens being an exceptional pathogen. We present the first case describing an abscess of the spleen in a patient undergoing treatment with adalimumab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor commonly used in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Patient: We describe the case of a 73-year-old woman, treated with adalimumab therapy, who was found to have a splenic abscess, caused by C. perfringens.

Result: After antibiotic treatment and percutaneous drainage, the patient recovered both clinically and radiographically.

Discussion: We reviewed literature about C. perfringens splenic abscesses. In all cases identified, a splenectomy was performed. This is the first case description of splenic abscess caused by C. perfringens where a percutaneous drainage was performed, leading to complete recovery in our patient. This seems to indicate that a splenectomy is not necessary in all C. perfringens splenic abscesses.