title: Percutaneous drainage of abdominal abscesses.
abstract: Abdominal abscesses carry high morbidity and mortality unless properly drained. In recent years, percutaneous drainage has become an accepted alternative to surgery. A brief overview of diagnostic principles, selection of patients, percutaneous drainage catheters and technique, contraindications, and post-drainage follow-up is presented. In experienced hands, more than 80% of abdominal abscesses can be drained successfully by this method and with lower rates of morbidity, mortality, and complications than by surgery.
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D011677:Punctures; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed