Percutaneous debridement of posttraumatic infected major hepatic necrosis

Although percutaneous drainage of liver abscesses has long been the standard of care, percutaneous drainage of infected necrotic liver tissue is usually used only to stabilize a patient's condition in the setting of sepsis before surgical debridement is ultimately required, frequently in the form of a hepatic lobectomy. The present report describes three cases of curative percutaneous drainage and percutaneous debridement of posttraumatic infected major hepatic necrosis. Techniques used included catheter suction, lavage, and foreign body retrieval.