title: Approaches to the difficult drainage and biopsy.
abstract: Percutaneous abscess drainage and percutaneous biopsy are effective and widely used techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with abdominal or pelvic abscesses and lesions. Some abscesses and lesions can initially appear unsuitable for percutaneous access for a variety of reasons. This article reviews the circumstances in which collections or lesions may appear undrainable or inaccessible to percutaneous biopsy, and it describes techniques for overcoming these circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Division of Abdominal Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Shaunagh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Diane A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Levis
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Arellano
keywords: Crohn disease; computed tomography; pancreatitis; percutaneous abscess drainage; ultrasound