Percutaneous Drainage of Abdominal and Pelvic Abscesses in Children

Abstract

It has only been in the last several decades that abscesses within deep compartments, particularly within the abdomen and pelvis, have become safely accessible with imaging guidance. Since that time, percutaneous abscess drainage has become the standard of care in children. We review the clinical features, diagnosis, and image-guided management of abdominal and pelvic abscesses in children.

Common procedures and strategies for anaesthesia in interventional radiology

“…Aspiration of fluid collections, drain placements and biopsies are common in any interventional radiology suite [6][7][8]. These can often be accomplished with ultrasound guidance, although deeper targets or those near vital structures can require computed tomographic (CT) guidance and apnoea.…”

“…They include bleeding and puncture of nontarget structures [8]. Solid organ biopsies should have blood bank specimens sent; bleeding risk is low but can be impressive when it occurs [9,10].…”

Abdominal nonparenchymatous cystic lesions and their mimics in children

“…CT shows a cystic mass in the left part of the abdomen; the ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter is within the cyst (arrows) most common cause of abdominal or pelvic abscess in children is appendicitis; postsurgical, posttraumatic, and Crohn disease-related abscesses may also be seen (Fig. 9), [10]. Iliopsoas muscle is an uncommon location for abscess formation but it may easily be confused with diseases such as appendicitis, because of its variable clinical findings (Fig.…”

Cover

“…Interventional techniques, including percutaneous and transrectal drainage of pelvic abscesses, significantly decrease the complication rates in these children ( Figure 3). 4 Aspiration and drainage of ascites and pleural effusions can be safely performed with sonographic guidance, even in the smallest infants. Placement of pigtail drains into empyemas and lung abscesses is safe and effective and offers a minimally invasive alternative to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), with similar success rates.…”