Percutaneous versus open operative drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses

This article has tried to provide some perspective on the results of surgical and percutaneous drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses and the impact of CT localization on the successful management of this problem. It is most likely that the recent decrease in mortality for intra-abdominal abscesses over the past decade is due to a variety of factors, including better antibiotics, more aggressive critical care, and earlier diagnosis and treatment of the intraabdominal problem. These factors combined to reduce the incidence of pre-drainage organ failure and the degree of physiologic derangement of these patients at the time of their abscess drainage. Percutaneous drainage and surgical drainage techniques should not be considered competitive but rather complementary. If an abscess is accessible by percutaneous techniques, it is reasonable to consider a nonoperative approach to the problem. It is also clear that patients should respond promptly to whatever technique is employed to drain their intra-abdominal abscess. An improvement should be seen clinically within 24 to 48 hours following drainage. Should improvement not be forthcoming, the patient must be aggressively re-evaluated with repeat CT and decisions made by the responsible surgeon in consultation with the radiologist as to the next appropriate course of action. As our review of the Wayne State University experience suggested, patients are never too sick for an appropriate operation. Although it appears that most abscesses can be successfully treated by percutaneous drainage, pancreatic abscesses with pancreatic necrosis should generally be treated by surgical debridement, usually accompanied by repeated explorations. In addition, splenectomy has not yet been replaced by percutaneous drainage of splenic abscesses.