Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of pyogenic splenic abscesses

This report summarizes the results of ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage procedures in eight patients with solitary (n = 6) and multiple (n = 2) splenic abscesses. Seven patients underwent a total of 15 closed-needle aspirations with local installation of antibiotic solution. In one case, catheter drainage was performed. All patients received parenteral broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Seven (88%) of the eight patients with splenic abscesses recovered completely following percutaneous drainage procedures and none of these required splenectomy later. In one patient with multiple splenic abscesses, repetitive needle aspiration was ineffective, necessitating splenectomy. The only complication associated with nonsurgical percutaneous interventions was a pleural empyema that resolved with chest tube drainage (complication rate, 13%). These results and those reported in the literature indicate that pyogenic splenic abscesses can be treated effectively by (repetitive) closed aspiration technique or catheter drainage with a relatively low rate of complications. From our experience, splenectomy should only be performed in splenic abscesses that are not accessible percutaneously and in those cases with percutaneous drainage failure.