Percutaneous abscess drainage: Update

During the approximately 20 years that percutaneous abscess drainage (PAD) has been an extant procedure and as the millennium begins, PAD has become, by consensus, the treatment of choice for abscesses. Indications for PAD co ntinue to expand, and currently almost all abscesses are considered amenabl e. On occasion, PAD is an adjunctive procedure that provides a beneficial t emporizing effect for the surgeon who eventually must operate for a coexist ing problem such as a bowel leak Simple unilocular abscesses are cured almo st uniformly by PAD; more complicated abscesses, such as those with enteric fistulas (e.g., diverticular abscess) or pancreatic abscesses, have cure r ates ranging from 65% to 90%. Various catheters and insertion techniques ha ve proven effective. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, and fluoroscopy are the staple modalities that guide PAD. PAD is the prototype intervention al radiology procedure, providing detection of the abscess by imaging, need ling for diagnosis, and catheterization for therapy.