Ilio-psoas abscesses: percutaneous drainage under image guidance

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Interventional radiology
• Infectious disease management

Background:

• Psoas abscesses are collections of pus in the psoas muscle.
• Management traditionally involves surgical drainage, which can be invasive.
• Image-guided percutaneous drainage offers a less invasive alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of image-guided percutaneous drainage for psoas abscesses.
• To compare outcomes between tuberculous and pyogenic psoas abscesses.
• To identify factors influencing treatment success.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 56 psoas abscesses in 51 patients over 5 years.
• Management included image-guided needle aspiration or catheter drainage with medical therapy.
• Abscesses were categorized as tuberculous or pyogenic.

Main Results:

• Percutaneous drainage was successful in 66.7% of pyogenic abscesses.
• Tuberculous abscesses had initial success in all patients, but 8 recurred.
• Factors for pyogenic abscess failure included bowel lesions and thick pus.

Conclusions:

• Image-guided percutaneous drainage is an effective and safe treatment for most psoas abscesses.
• It serves as a viable alternative to surgical intervention.
• Different management strategies may be needed for tuberculous versus pyogenic causes.