Percutaneous drainage with a one-step technique under real-time computed tomography fluoroscopic guidance

The goal of our study was to determine the usefulness of the percutaneous placement of a drainage catheter using a one-step technique under guidance of computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy.

Subjects were 11 patients (3 women, 8 men; mean age 65 years) who underwent percutaneous thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic drainage procedures for fluid collections between August 2010 and June 2011. The mean maximum diameter of the lesions was 53.8mm (range 30 to 82 mm) and the mean depth was 37.6mm (range 18 to 70mm). A drainage catheter that can be inserted by a one- step technique without a guide wire was used. The procedures were guided by use of a helical CT scanner that provided real-time fluoroscopic reconstruction.

Percutaneous drainage was successfully achieved in every procedure. Use of real-time CT-fluoroscopy and a drainage catheter that can be inserted with a one-step technique allowed rapid assessment of catheter placement. No patient had a serious complication related to the drainage procedure. The mean procedure time required to drain one lesion was 21.1 minutes (range 12 to 41 minutes).

Thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic drainage procedures using the one-step technique under CT-fluoroscopy guidance were accurate, safe and easy.