CT-Guided Percutaneous Catheter Drainage of Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis: Clinical Experience and Observations in Patients with Sterile and Infected Necrosis

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to report on clinical experience with and observations made during primary CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage of acute necrotizing pancreatitis and to compare results among patients with sterile and those with infected necrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We reviewed clinical, radiologic, and bacteriologic data on 35 patients ( 23 men, 12 women; mean age, 50 years; range, 21 - 83 years) with acute necrotizing pancreatitis refractory to standard medical care who underwent CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage with 12- to 22-French catheters. Experiences with two subgroups were compared. One group consisted of 22 patients, 10 with multisystem organ failure, who presented with sterile necrosis ( median Atlanta score, 1.3; range, 0 - 3). The other group consisted of 13 patients, one with multisystem organ failure, who presented with infected necrosis ( median Atlanta score, 0.4; range, 0 - 3). Differences between the group with sterile and the group with infected necrosis were analyzed with the Fisher-Holton exact and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS. Among 35 patients, 17 ( 49%) were treated successfully with CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage alone. The effectiveness of CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage in patients with sterile necrosis ( 11/22, 50%) was not significantly different from that of drainage in patients with infected necrosis ( 6/13, 46%). Among 11 patients with multisystem organ failure ( 10 with sterile necrosis, one with infected necrosis), only four ( 36%) were treated successfully with CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage alone; five patients ( 45%) died. Among 24 patients without multisystem organ failure, 13 ( 54%) were treated successfully with CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage alone; one patient died. CONCLUSION. In our experience, primary CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage was successful for approximately one half of the patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The presence of multisystem organ failure appears to be a more important indicator of outcome than does the presence of infection.