Ultra-sonography guided pigtail placement for drainage of liver abscess in 40 patients: A retrospective study

Aim and Objective: 1. To evaluate the advantages of USG guided pigtail catheter placement for drainage of liver abscess. 2. To assess the morbidity and complications of percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage in treatment of liver abscess. Methods: The study was conducted at Zydus Medical College and Hospital, Dahod, Gujarat, January 2018 to January 2020. It included 40 USG confirm cases of liver abscess. The liver Abscess ≥5x5 cm underwent percutaneous drainage was determined by doing serial USG scans.Results: Age group varied from 20 to 60 years. Out of 40 patients 36 were men and 4 were women. The male to female ratio 10:1. 28 patients had solitary abscess, while 12 had multiple abscess. Pigtail catheter of various sizes (10 F or 12 F) were introduced in these patients using the Seldinger technique. The volume of pus drained ranged from 150 to 400 ml, complications were minor and included catheter blockage in 8 patients and tract pain in 35 patients. There was no mortality associated with this procedure. This study shows a success rate of 96%. One patient required repeat pigtail placement after 6 months for recurrent liver abscesses. Conclusion: This study concludes that drainage of liquefied moderate to large sized liver abscess by USG guided pigtail placement as a minimally invasive procedure with low morbidity and mortality and should be first line of management of liver abscesses.