Percutaneous drainage treatment of abdominal abscesses

Abdominal abscesses are frequent in surgical practice. The aim of the study was to evaluate sonoscopically guided percutaneous drainage (PD) treatment of abdominal abscesses in the Klaipėda Seamen’s Hospital during the past 10 years, 62 patients were treated. A retrospective analysis of case histories, laboratory and instrumental examination of data were done. In 27 cases abdominal abscess developed after open or laparoscopical surgical intervention, in 35 cases it was not associated with surgery. Under sonoscopic guidance there were performed 74 interventions – 72 cases of percutaneous drainage and 2 punctions. The mean drainage time was 17.7 days. The culture of fluid was positive in 35 cases (77.8%). The mean duration of hospitalisation was 27.1 days. The success rate of PD was 93.5%. The mortality rate (1.6%) was not PD-related. We failed to drain the abscess in one case. Two patients required open surgery because of inadequate drainage. The complication rate was 6.5%: three cases of drain migration, one case of transverse colon damage, which did not require surgery