Abstract

Background: The liver is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical countries. Advancement in imaging has led to early diagnosis and treatment of patients with local anaesthesia. The objective of the study was to evaluate USG guided pigtail catheter placement for drainage of pyogenic liver abscess as a minimally invasive procedure at our center.
Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 50 patients in the Department of General Surgery and Department of Radiodiagnosis at Dr D Y Patil Hospital and Medical College for a period of 1 year. It included 50 patients who were diagnosed with liver abscesses. Percutaneous drainage was done and the effectiveness of drainage was determined by doing serial USG scans.
Results: In the following study, 50 patients with liver abscess underwent USG guided pigtail catheterization for solitary liver abscess of size more than 5cms. Most of them were on the right side with a volume of more than 150 cc. The study showed a 100% success rate. However, in 2 patients catheter had to be kept for more than one month. No complications were observed during the procedure.
Conclusions: Percutaneous drainage is a minimally invasive procedure to drain liver abscess with good outcomes. Hence should be concluded as the first line of management in liver abscess.

Key words: Liver abscess, Pigtail catheter, Minimally invasive procedure