[Radiologically guided percutaneous drainage: state of the art]

Percutaneous drainage of abscesses and other abnormal fluid collections is a recent development of interventional radiology. The indications and results of these treatments are presently well established, as is their place relative to the standard of care, surgical drainage. This paper reviews in particular the technical aspects of percutaneous fluid collection drainage and highlights the practical experience of the authors. The following points are discussed: patient selection and preparation, advantages and shortcomings of the different imaging techniques available for drainage guidance, an outline of the different puncture methods according to difficulty of collection access, choice of drain type, clinical and imaging follow-up of the drained collection, and finally specific precautions in some common clinical situations. The pitfalls and complications of these methods are also discussed.