Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
Published on: February 5, 2019
Perianal abscess in infants: Amenable to conservative treatment in selected cases
Inbal Samuk1,2, Efrat Avinadav1,2, Uri Barak2,3
1Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Insights
Conservative management of infant perianal abscesses is effective in selected cases. This approach successfully avoided surgery in most infants, despite a notable recurrence rate, highlighting its benefits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Infant Health
- Abscess Management
Background:
- Perianal abscess is a common pediatric surgical condition with controversial management.
- Current practices often involve drainage, but the efficacy of conservative approaches remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the outcomes of conservative management for perianal abscesses in infants.
- To determine the feasibility of avoiding surgical intervention in selected cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 19 infants (<24 months) treated conservatively for perianal abscess.
- Inclusion criteria included spontaneous drainage or phlegmonous infiltrate on ultrasound.
Main Results:
- 13 out of 17 eligible patients (76.4%) avoided surgical intervention.
- Three patients (15.7%) ultimately required surgical drainage.
- Four patients (28.5%) experienced a single recurrence during follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Infant perianal abscess can be successfully managed conservatively in carefully selected cases.
- Avoiding surgery offers advantages, even with a potential for recurrence.
Background:
Perianal abscess is a common surgical condition in daily pediatric practice. Management is a subject of controversy and a variety of approaches are practiced. While the most frequent approach is drainage with/without fistulotomy, the superiority of this approach and the place of conservative approach has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of conservative approach in selected cases of perianal abscesses in infants.
Methods:
Data of 19 patients aged <24 months treated conservatively for perianal abscess at a tertiary hospital in 2014-2018 were retrospectively reviewed.
Results:
Criteria for a conservative approach were: spontaneous drainage into the anal canal (n = 8) or perianal skin (n = 4), and phlegmonous infiltrate with fluid collection detected on ultrasound (n = 7). Mean age at symptom onset was 8.4 months. Twelve patients were managed for the first time. Previous care in seven patients included 1-4 drainage procedures (n = 4), spontaneous drainage (n = 1) and antibiotics (n = 2). Five patients were on oral antibiotics at presentation. After diagnosis, 18 patients received i.v. antibiotics and one, oral antibiotics. Three patients (15.7%) ultimately required surgical drainage; two were lost to follow up. During follow up (mean, 22.4 months) four patients (28.5%) had a single recurrent episode; abscess in three (managed conservatively in two and surgically in one) and fistula-in-ano in one patient that healed spontaneously. Thus, surgical intervention was prevented in 13/17 patients (76.4%) available for follow up.
Conclusions:
Perianal abscess in infants is amenable to conservative management in selected cases. Avoiding surgical intervention is advantageous, especially given the high recurrence rate.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
07:11Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
03:47A Retrospective Study on Endoscopic Surgery for the Treatment of Paravertebral Abscess in Spinal Tuberculosis Patients
05:04Enhancing the Development and Growth of Infant Cerebral Palsy Rats Using Selective Spinal Manipulations
01:57What is Conservation Biology?
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
01:49Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally...