Hepatic Abscess Drainage

 Hepatic abscess drainage is an important therapeutic procedure performed by expert interventional radiologists, hepatologists, and surgeons at Moolchand Hospital — one of the best liver hospitals in Delhi. A liver abscess is a localized collection of pus within the liver parenchyma caused by bacterial, amoebic, or rarely fungal infection. If untreated, it can rupture into the peritoneal cavity or pleural space, causing life-threatening sepsis.

Pyogenic (bacterial) liver abscesses typically result from biliary tract infections (cholangitis, cholecystitis), portal vein seeding from abdominal infections (appendicitis, diverticulitis), hematogenous spread from systemic sepsis, or post-procedural complications. Amoebic liver abscesses are caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica and are particularly prevalent in tropical regions including India.

Diagnosis is confirmed by liver ultrasound or CT scan, which reveals the size, number, and location of the abscess, along with blood tests showing elevated inflammatory markers. Aspiration of the abscess fluid for culture and sensitivity is essential to guide antibiotic therapy.

The primary treatment for hepatic abscesses is a combination of appropriate antimicrobial therapy and drainage of the pus collection. Percutaneous needle aspiration under ultrasound or CT guidance is performed for smaller abscesses or amoebic abscesses — the abscess cavity is punctured with a fine needle and the pus aspirated. For larger pyogenic abscesses (typically greater than 5cm) or those not responding to needle aspiration, percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) is preferred — a drainage catheter is placed into the abscess cavity under imaging guidance and left in situ to continuously drain the pus until the cavity resolves.

Surgical drainage is reserved for abscesses that fail percutaneous management, ruptured abscesses causing peritonitis, or those associated with conditions requiring operative intervention such as biliary pathology. At Moolchand Hospital in Lajpat Nagar Delhi, our interventional radiology and hepatology teams work together to provide prompt, accurate diagnosis and effective drainage, achieving excellent outcomes for patients with hepatic abscesses.