Ultrasound-Guided Pigtail Catheter Drainage: An Effective Alternative to Exploratory Laparotomy

Introduction It has been long established that open surgeries were the only options available for the management of intra-abdominal abscesses or collections. These were associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, the idea of percutaneous needling could not gain popularity due to poor localization of collections. However, with the advent of ultrasound, percutaneous pigtail-catheter drainage has proven to be minimally invasive and allows precise localization of the drainage site. Objectives To study the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided pigtail catheter drainage as an alternative to exploratory laparotomy for the management of intra-abdominal abscesses or collections. Materials and methods A total of 48 patient cases, which included liver abscesses, perinephric collections, malignant ascites, splenic collections, pseudocysts, and psoas abscesses, were studied prospectively in a medical college in India from October 2020 to October 2021. The efficacy of the drainage was assessed by serial ultrasound. Results Out of 48 patients, 34 were male and 14 were female, ranging in age from 19 to 64 years, who were diagnosed with intra-abdominal abscesses or collections and underwent ultrasound-guided pigtail catheter drainage. The average hospital stay for patients was 2.5 days. They were followed up periodically for three months post-procedure, and none had significant complications or recurrence. Conclusion The pigtail catheter is the treatment of choice for liquefied intra-abdominal collections or abscesses, which helps to reduce post-procedure hospital stays and complications. Contribution This article reiterates the use of minimally invasive techniques in place of open surgeries with less morbidity.