# A Pyogenic Liver Abscess in the Setting of Fontan-Associated Liver Disease

**Authors:** Thomas J Mason, John A Gambril, Joshua Spegman, Matthew Laubham

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98255 · Cureus · 2025-12-01

## TL;DR

This paper presents a rare case of a liver abscess in a patient with a specific heart condition-related liver disease.

## Contribution

The study reports the first known case of a pyogenic liver abscess in Fontan-associated liver disease.

## Key findings

- A pyogenic liver abscess was identified in a patient with Fontan-associated liver disease.
- This case may be the first documented instance of such a complication in this patient population.

## Abstract

The Fontan procedure is widely used today in the surgical management of congenital heart disease as the final step in single ventricle palliation pathways. It is associated with unique complications, most notably Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD), which is a condition arising from the unique hemodynamics of the Fontan circulation that occurs universally after the procedure. Though varying in severity from mild hepatocellular liver injury to frank decompensated cirrhosis, FALD progresses at different rates depending on the patient. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with late-stage FALD, a better understanding of the pathophysiology and complications is needed. Here we describe a unique case of a pyogenic liver abscess in a patient with FALD, possibly the first reported in the literature.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** Fontan-associated liver disease (MONDO:0979326)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** Pyogenic Liver Abscess (MESH:D046290), congenital heart disease (MESH:D006330), FALD (MESH:D008107), cirrhosis (MESH:D005355), hepatocellular liver injury (MESH:D017093)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

14 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12755862/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12755862