Experience with Percutaneous Drainage of Body Fluids in a Tertiary Center in Benin City

Abstract

Background: Percutaneous drainage is the evacuation of body fluids either using needle aspiration or by catheter placement under imaging guidance. Abnormal collections in the body which may be idiopathic, postinfectious, posttraumatic, or postsurgical (iatrogenic) can be free (e.g., ascites) or loculated (e.g. cysts and abscesses). Most cases of significant fluid accumulation require evacuation. Interventional radiology offers treatment and even cure to such patients who may be too ill to withstand surgery or not able to afford the cost of open surgery. The aim of this article is to review the common percutaneous drainage procedures done in the Radiology department of the University of Benin teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of percutaneous drainage requests to the department of radiology of the hospital from January 2017 to march 2020 was performed. Data on age, gender, clinical diagnosis, the radiologic findings, procedures, and instrumentation utilized were retrieved and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 49 patients' data were recruited for this study; 40 (81.6%) were female. The most common indication for intervention was liver abscess (14.3%), followed by liver cyst, endometriosis, obstructive jaundice, and pelvic abscess. The IV cannula/sheath was the most widely used instrument, followed by the pigtail catheter. All patients had their procedures done under antibiotic cover and the cases of hepatic cysts had albendazole added to their drug regimen. Conclusion: Despite the limited availability of resources for interventional radiology, basic procedures like cyst and abscess drainages can be successfully carried out using available materials and catheters.