Twelve patients (9 men, 3 women) with a mean age of 65 (54–78) years, with pyogenic hepatic abscesseswere managed by percutaneous drainage between 1979 and 1987. Biliary origin was most common (4patients), followed by hepatic abscesses as a late postoperative complication (seen in 3 patients) andhepatic abscesses occurring in association with acute appendicitis (2 patients). The origin was unknownin 3 patients. Diagnosis was reached by computed tomography or ultrasonography with a diagnosticdelay of in mean 11 days. Seventeen abscesses were found among the 12 patients. The median abscesssize (maximal diameter) was 7 (1–12) cm. Nine patients were treated with percutaneous drainage withan indwelling catheter within the abscess cavity for up to 3 weeks, while 3 patients were managed withpercutaneous puncture and aspiration alone. The most commonly isolated organism from the drainedhepatic abscess was E.coli. The course following percutaneous treatment was uneventful, withoutmortality and recurrence of the hepatic abscess during follow-up. One patient required surgical drainageof an additional hepatic abscess.Percutaneous drainage of hepatic abscesses, independent of origin, thus seems as a safe and reliablemethod, which should be considered as the treatment of choice if facilities and knowledge ofpercutaneous management are provided.
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