[Percutaneous drainage of splenic fluid accumulations. Apropos of 4 cases]

Four patients with solitary or multiple splenic fluid collections were treated by ultrasound guided percutaneous needle aspiration and drainage. There was one unilocular abscess, three infected hematomas, one large hematoma and a complex lesion with locular and perisplenic involvement. Percutaneous drainage and antibiotics were curative in one patient. Splenectomy was performed because of persistent fever and drainage of pus after 15 days in one case and recurrence of hematoma in an other case. Solitary fluid collection can be effectively treated by ultrasound or computed tomography guided percutaneous drainage. Hematoma represents a cause of failure of percutaneous drainage.