Immediate percutaneous drainage compared with surgical drainage of renal abscess

Purpose To compare immediate percutaneous drainage of renal abscess via ultrasonographic guidance to surgical drainage. Procedures This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 27 patients (mean age of 59.37 +/- 12.25 years) with renal abscesses. Immediate percutaneous catheter drainage was performed in patients with pus-containing cavities greater than 3 cm who consented in the emergency section (n = 12). Other patients underwent surgical drainage (n = 11). Both groups were also treated with empirical antibiotic therapy. Four patients were treated exclusively with antibiotics and were excluded from the analysis. Findings Abscess size on computer tomography (CT) was similar between the percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) patients and open surgical drainage patients (7.47 +/- 1.75 cm vs. 8.67 +/- 1.87 cm; P = 0.13). There was no significant difference in mean duration of hospitalization (PCD, 19.5 +/- 10.5 days; surgical drainage, 14.55 +/- 4.52 days. P = 0.15). Larger abscess size and higher C-reactive protein levels were important prognostic factors in both groups. Microbiological analysis revealed Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in most abscesses. Conclusions Patients treated with percutaneous drainage for renal abscess had outcomes comparable to those treated with surgical drainage.