Cutaneous abscess surgery
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Abscess Main page |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Wound abscesses do not generally need to be treated with antibiotics, but they will require surgical intervention, debridement and curretage.[1]
Surgery
Incision and drainage
The abscess should be inspected to identify if foreign objects are a cause, requiring surgical removal. If foreign objects are not the cause, a doctor will incise and drain the abscess and prescribe painkillers and possibly antibiotics.
Surgical drainage of the abscess (e.g. lancing) is usually indicated once the abscess has developed from a harder serous inflammation to a softer pus stage. This is expressed in the Latin medical aphorism Ubi pus, ibi evacua.
In critical areas where surgery presents a high risk, surgery may be delayed or used as a last resort. The drainage of a lung abscess may be performed by positioning the patient in a way that enables the contents to be discharged via the respiratory tract. Warm compresses and elevation of the limb may be beneficial for skin abscess.
Primary closure
Primary closure has been successful when combined with curettage and antibiotics[2] or with curettage alone.[3] However, another randomized controlled trial found primary closure led to 35% failing to heal primarily and primary closure longer median number of days to closure (8.9 versus 7.8).[4]
In anorectal abscesses, primary closure healed faster, but 25% of abscesses healed by secondary healing and recurrence was higher.[5]
Perianal abscess
Perianal abscesses can be seen in patients with for example inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease) or diabetes. Often the abscess will start as an internal wound caused by ulceration or hard stool. This wound typically becomes infected as a result of the normal presence of feces in the rectal area, and then develops into an abscess. This often presents itself as a lump of tissue near the anus which grows larger and more painful with the passage of time.
Like other abscesses, perianal abscesses may require prompt medical treatment, such as an incision and debridement or lancing.
References
- ↑ McLatchie G, Leaper D, (eds). 2007. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Surgery, 2nd ed. Oxford. OUP
- ↑ Abraham N, Doudle M, Carson P (1997). "Open versus closed surgical treatment of abscesses: a controlled clinical trial". The Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery. 67 (4): 173–6. PMID 9137156.
- ↑ Stewart MP, Laing MR, Krukowski ZH (1985). "Treatment of acute abscesses by incision, curettage and primary suture without antibiotics: a controlled clinical trial". The British journal of surgery. 72 (1): 66–7. PMID 3881155.
- ↑ Simms MH, Curran F, Johnson RA; et al. (1982). "Treatment of acute abscesses in the casualty department". British medical journal (Clinical research ed.). 284 (6332): 1827–9. PMID 6805714.
- ↑ Kronborg O, Olsen H (1984). "Incision and drainage v. incision, curettage and suture under antibiotic cover in anorectal abscess. A randomized study with 3-year follow-up". Acta Chirurgica Scandinavica. 150 (8): 689–92. PMID 6397949.