Ultrasonic evaluation of intra-abdominal abscesses

This study describes the role of ultrasound in the evaluation of abdominal abscesses in children. A total of 41 abscesses were encountered in 36 patients (21 boys and 15 girls). The youngest patient was 1-month-old. Abscesses were localised at various sites (hepatic, renal, perirenal, paracolic, appendicular, pelvic, psoas, subphrenic, parietal), and of varied sonographic patterns (complex, anechoic, hypoechoic and containing uniform low level echoes). Most of them had irregular walls.