Medical treatment of renal and perirenal abscesses: CT evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
A retrospective study of our experience of CT evaluation and follow-up of 16 solitary and multiple renal abscesses treated successfully with antibiotics alone and evaluated with CT at the onset of symptoms and after therapy.


METHODS
Seven patients had a solitary renal abscess, five had multiple renal abscesses and four had renal and perinephric abscess. None of the abscesses were larger than 5 cm.


RESULTS
In all 16 patients, the CT examination showed total renal and extrarenal regression of the abscesses. In four patients, scarring of the renal outline was observed on follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrates the opportunity to avoid aggressive interventional or surgical treatment of renal and perirenal abscesses of 5-cm diameter or less which can completely regress after antibiotic therapy of at least 4 weeks. The CT examination results are important both in the diagnostic phase to establish the extent of the lesions and in the follow-up to check the results of medical treatment.
Dalla Palma
L
L
Department of Radiology, University of Trieste, Italy.
Pozzi-Mucelli
F
F
Ene
V
V
D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents