[CT-guided percutaneous drainage in the management of psoas abscesses]

The authors review their first experiences in Hungary with the CT guided percutaneous catheter treatment of psoas abscesses. Diagnostic aspiration from abscess was performed in one patient. Percutaneous catheter drainage of psoas abscess were performed in 4 patients. There were 4 patients with unilateral and 1 patient with bilateral psoas abscess. 4 patients had tuberculous spondylodiscitis, 1 patient had staphylococcal vertebral osteomyelitis. One patient following diagnostic aspiration was successfully treated with antituberculoutic drugs. All patient treated with percutaneous catheter drainage received medical antituberculoutic or antibiotic therapy and showed excellent clinical and radiological results. There was no complication and there was no need to open surgical drainage in this series. CT guided aspiration is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of psoas abscesses as well as in the identification of the exact abscess etiology. Percutaneous drainage represents an efficient and attractive alternative to open surgical drainage in the treatment of psoas abscesses.