Percutaneous drainage as an rapid procedure for deep pelvic abscess in the emergency department

Drainage of pelvic abscesses is interventional procedures that should be well planned due to organ contiguity. There are not enough publications in the literature evaluating the treatment methods of pelvic abscess drainage and comparing success rates.

In this study, 15 patients who underwent pelvic abscess drainage in our interventional radiology unit between June 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively included. Abscess size, abscess characteristics, the method of access to abscess (transrectal, transvaginal, transgluteal), and drainage treatment procedure (needle aspiration, catheter treatment) were evaluated statistically in terms of effects on the success of treatment.

Of the 15 patients included in the study, 6 (40%) were male and 9 (60%) were female, with a mean age of 31.6 years.In 2 of the patients treated with needle aspiration alone, the abscess collection was repeated and the second procedure was performed. In our study, the technical success was 100% and the complete clinical success was 80%. None of the patients underwent open surgery due to abscess after drainage treatment.

In conclusion, endocavitary and percutaneous drainage treatments of pelvic abscesses are safe and effective treatment methods. The success of needle aspiration treatment is lower than catheter treatment and it should be considered that the abscess collection may recur.