Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of liver abscess in children.

This study's purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage (US-PD) as treatment modality for pediatric pyogenic liver abscess when compared with other modalities. Ten consecutive patients, aged from 2 months to 22 years, were enrolled in this study. In addition to antibiotics, US-PD was attempted in each case unless the procedure was judged unsuitable. Six patients were treated with US-PD while four were not, for various reasons. US-PD was performed under an intravenous anesthesia and with the aid of real-time sonography. An indwelling pigtail catheter was usually inserted during US-PD. Fever subsided within one to six days, but the abscess cavity closed later. Failure to respond to US-PD may relate to the huge size of abscess cavity; surgical drainage provides an option. A trend toward a shorter hospital stay and defervescence day was found in the US-PD group than in the non-US-PD group. Prognosis was generally good and none in this series died of this disease or the procedure. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the pathogen most frequently encountered. Seven of the ten patients had underlying disease, and hemoglobinopathy was frequently associated. In conclusion, adequate drainage is recommended as the most effective treatment modality for pediatric liver abscess, and US-PD is the first choice.