title: Extra-abdominal lumbar abscesses caused by retroperitoneal gastrointestinal perforations through the lumbar triangle of Petit: report of two cases diagnosed by CT.
abstract: Extra-abdominal abscesses of gastrointestinal origin developing within the lumbar subcutaneous tissues are extremely rare. We report two cases of retroperitoneal bowel perforation presenting spontaneously at admission with a lumbar abscess trespassing the lumbar triangle of Petit, a classical "locus of minus resistencia" of the posterior abdominal wall. The first case was caused by perforation of a retrocecal appendicitis--being concomitantly responsible of a necrotizing fasciitis of the thigh--and in the second case perforation was caused by left colonic diverticulitis. In both cases, the full diagnosis was made with abdominal CT. The patients were threatened by a two-step surgical approach comprising a direct posterior percutaneous drainage of the abscess followed by classical laparotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Clinique St Luc, Rue St Luc 8, 5004 Bouge, Namur, Belgium. bcoulier@skynet.be
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coulier
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gogoase
authors.forename: Adrien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramboux
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierard
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000150:complications*; D004241:Diverticulum, Colon / Q000150:complications; D004322:Drainage; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000150:complications*; D007813:Laparotomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed