title: Computerized tomographic scan-guided drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses. Preoperative and postoperative modalities in colon and rectal surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Computerized tomographic (CT) scan-guided percutaneous drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses has changed the colon and rectal surgeon's approach to preoperative and postoperative intra-abdominal infections. This study is an effort to prove the efficacy of CT scan-guided percutaneous drainage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed on 133 patients who underwent CT scan drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses over a 6.3-year period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  67 patients had underlying lower gastrointestinal disease. Twenty-three of these patients (34 percent) had spontaneous abscesses and underwent drainage as a preoperative or final modality, whereas 44 patients (66 percent) were drained postoperatively. In 78 percent of patients, surgery was successfully avoided or delayed. Ten patients had acute diverticulitis associated with a large pelvic abscess. Eight patients underwent successful CT scan-guided percutaneous drainage, yielding an 80 percent success rate. Morbidity from the CT scan-guided percutaneous drainage procedure in spontaneous and postoperative groups was 0 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Mortality was 9 percent and 11 percent, respectively, and associated with an elevated Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT scan-guided percutaneous drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses is an important adjunct to colon and rectal surgery because roughly 80 percent of spontaneous and postoperative abscesses were successfully managed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, UMDNJ, Plainfield.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schechter
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Eisenstat
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Salvati
mesh_terms: D018784:Abdominal Abscess / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003106:Colon / Q000601:surgery*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012007:Rectum / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed