Percutaneous abscess drainage in Crohn's disease

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Interventional Radiology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Crohn's disease frequently complicates with intra-abdominal abscesses.
• Abscesses pose significant management challenges in Crohn's disease patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous abscess drainage (PAD) in managing Crohn's disease-associated abscesses.
• To assess the safety and outcomes of PAD in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 18 PAD procedures in 10 Crohn's disease patients.
• Categorization of abscesses by origin: postoperative, hepatic, and transmural bowel disease spread.
• Assessment of treatment success, need for further intervention, and complication rates.

Main Results:

• Successful treatment of all postoperative and hepatic abscesses via PAD.
• PAD led to abscess resolution without surgery in 2 of 7 patients with transmural disease-related abscesses.
• No enterocutaneous fistulas were observed following PAD procedures.

Conclusions:

• Percutaneous abscess drainage is a valuable and safe technique for managing Crohn's disease-related abscesses.
• PAD can obviate the need for surgery in select cases.
• It serves as an effective bridge to surgery when necessary.