Treatment of abdominal abscesses: comparative evaluation of operative drainage versus percutaneous catheter drainage guided by computed tomography or ultrasound

Computed tomography and, to a lesser extent, ultrasonography provide detailed anatomic localization of intra-abdominal abscesses that permit precise percutaneous placement of catheters large enough to effect drainage. Using routes similar to surgical approaches, the authors have used this technique as definitive therapy for intra-abdominal abscesses. To assess its efficacy, the results in the 27 patients treated percutaneously over the last five years have been compared with the results in the 43 patients treated by operative intervention over the past ten years. In the percutaneous group, complications (4%), inadequate drainage (11%), and duration of drainage (17 days) were less than in the operative group (16%, 21% and 29 days respectively). These results indicate that percutaneous drainage is at least as efficacious as operative drainage and avoids the risks of a major operative procedure.