Abdominal wall abscesses in patients with Crohn's disease: clinical outcome

Abdominal wall abscess due to Crohn's Disease used to be one of the definitive indications for operative treatment. The advent of interventional radiology, the accessibility to percutaneous drainage, and the availability of new medications raised the possibility of nonoperative treatment of this condition. The clinical presentation, treatment, and follow-up of 13 patients with abdominal wall abscesses secondary to Crohn's Disease were retrospectively reviewed. During a 10-year period (1993-2003), 13 patients with abdominal wall abscess were treated. Five patients had an anterolateral abdominal wall abscess and eight had a posterior abscess (psoas). In 11 patients, 17 drainage procedures were performed: 12 percutaneous and 5 operative. Despite initial adequate drainage and resolution of the abscess, all 13 patients eventually needed resection of the offending bowel segment, which was undertaken in 12 patients. The mean time between abscess presentation and definitive operation was 2 months. Percutaneous drainage is an attractive option in most cases of abdominal abscesses. However, in Crohn's Disease patients with an abdominal wall abscess, we found a high failure rate despite initial adequate drainage. We suggest that surgical resection of the diseased bowel segment should be the definitive therapy.