La tomodensitométrie et le drainage percutané modifient les indications de réintervention après chirurgie digestive

Abstract

In order to assess the major clinical biological and radiological signs of an intraabdominal abscess following digestive surgery as well as the place of automatic reoperation, this retrospective study analysed 79 patients requiring intensive therapy for such a complication since 1982. Surgery consisted in oesophagectomy (n = 38), hepatectomy or cholecystectomy (n = 12), pancreatic surgery (n = 17) and colectomy (n = 12). A postoperative abdominal abscess was recognized in 75 patients consisting in intrathoracic or intra-abdominal oesophageal fistulas (n = 31), pancreatic abscesses and fistulas (n = 17), perior intrahepatic abscesses (n = 11), colonic fistulas (n = 12) and acalculous cholecystitis. With regard to the intensity of symptomatology the patients have been allocated into 2 groups. In group I, including 12 patients, the infectious syndrome occurred early (3 first postoperative days), was severe and associated with positive blood cultures in 60 % of cases. The patients were reoperated without previous CT-scanography. Four died postoperatively. In group II, including 67 patients, the symptomatology was more discrete. CT-scanography was highly beneficial, with discovery of an abscess in 90 % of cases. In 20 patients, the abscess has been punctured and drained successfully by percutaneous route. In 6 patients with negative CT-scanography, an automatic reoperation resulted in the discovery of an abscess in 2 cases. Five out of 6 of these patients died postoperatively. It is concluded that in case of intra-abdominal complication following digestive surgery : a) in case of early and severe symptomatology, a rapid reoperation is mandatory ; b) CT-scanography has a high diagnostic value for abscess recognition in patients with discrete and delayed symptomatology ; c) nearly one third of the abscesses can be treated successfully by percutaneous drainage ; d) the value of automatic reoperations remains unsubstantiated.