ACR Appropriateness Criteria on percutaneous catheter drainage of infected fluid collections

Abnormal fluid collections occur throughout the body and represent a wide range of pathologies, including abscesses, pseudocysts, cysts, lymphoceles, seromas, bilomas, hematomas, urinomas, and infected neoplasms. Appropriate management often depends on clinical presentation, location, type of collection, early response to treatment, and the presence of complicating factors such as fistulas, septations, and increased viscosity. Physicians should carefully review clinical and imaging findings and make evidence-based recommendations for the best treatment, which may include antibiotics, needle aspiration, percutaneous drainage, endoscopic drainage, or surgical drainage. This paper addresses percutaneous catheter drainage and alternative treatment options for the management of fluid collections and is the result of evidence-based consensus by the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Expert Panel on Interventional Radiology.