[Diagnostic value of the CT scan in suppurative abdominal lesions (author's transl)]

Computed tomography, a relatively non-aggressive method of radiological investigation, can establish diagnosis, and, more particularly, define the site of suppurative lesions in the peritoneal cavity, the retroperitoneal space, and in solid organs (liver, kidneys, spleen). This method was employed to explore the abdomen in 52 patients. Intraperitoneal suppurations were diagnosed in 15 cases after demonstration of a low density mass, which may contain clear pockets of gas or be limited by a higher density wall. In 4 cases, a retroperitoneal lesion was detected (psoas or perinephric abscess). A parenchymatous abscess was present in 6 cases, 4 in the liver, one in the kidneys, and one in the spleen. Using the angioscan technique, after a bolus injection of an iodised contrast medium, improved definition of the limits of the abscess can be obtained. Differential diagnosis of intraperitoneal suppurative lesions in cases of developing haematomas, or in the presence of an intrahepatic abscess, which may be confused with necrotic metastases or post-traumatic ischaemic foci, may be difficult.