PANCREATIC ABSCESSES

TO DETERMINE THE SURGICAL OUTCOME, EFFECTIVENESS AND THE COMPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY GUIDED DRAINAGE.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of our study is to determine the surgical outcome,
effectiveness and the complications of computer tomography guided drainage of pancreatic
abscesses. Study Design: Descriptive case series. Setting: Tertiary care hospital in Karachi
Pakistan. Period: Three years from November 2012 to October 2015. Methods: The patient
population consisted of all those patients who were diagnosed as a case of pancreatic abscess
both clinically and on radiographic analysis, and who had to have the computer tomography
guided percutaneous drainage of the abscess. The drained fluid was sent for histopathologic
and cytological analysis, and a drain was placed in the pancreatic tissue for further collection
of the discharge material. Patients were followed for up to 40 days post operatively, and various
complications were noted. Results: The patient population consisted of n=550 patients of
acute pancreatitis, out of which n=30 (5.45%) were diagnosed cases of pancreatic abscess, out
of these patients n=5 (16.67%) were males and n=25 (83.33%) were females, and the mean
age of patients was 44 +/- 11 years. In n=24 (80%) of patients the abscess resolved completely
in 20 to 40 days. N=5 (20%) of patients had complications and had to undergo laparotomy.
Conclusion: According to the results of our study, the computer tomographic guided drainage
of the pancreatic abscess is a very safe and effective procedure for the treatment of pancreatic
abscess. The rate of complications is low, and patients show swift recovery post operatively.