Work

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound-assisted catheter drainage for paravertebral tuberculous abscesses: a retrospective study of procedural safety

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background Paravertebral tuberculous abscess is a clinically important complication of spinal tuberculosis and may require image-guided drainage before definitive surgical management. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) may improve visualization of abscess vascularity and internal architecture, but its clinical value in catheter drainage for paravertebral tuberculous abscess remains insufficiently defined. Methods This retrospective historical-control study included 67 patients with lumbar spinal tuberculosis complicated by paravertebral tuberculous abscess who underwent ultrasound-guided catheter drainage at Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital between January 2010 and January 2025. Patients were divided into a conventional ultrasound-guided drainage group (Group A, n = 39) and a CEUS-assisted drainage group (Group B, n = 28). Baseline characteristics, postoperative recovery parameters, inflammatory markers, pain scores, clinical outcomes, and drainage-related complications were compared between groups. Results Postprocedural bleeding occurred after 5 of 41 drainage procedures (12.20%) in the conventional ultrasound-guided group and after 0 of 31 procedures (0.00%) in the CEUS-assisted group. Catheter occlusion and pericatheter purulent discharge rates did not differ between groups. Operative time, length of hospital stay, intraoperative blood loss, inflammatory markers, pain scores, cure rate, and recurrence rate also did not differ between groups. Conclusions In this retrospective historical cohort, CEUS-assisted drainage was associated with fewer recorded postprocedural bleeding events and provided additional anatomical information for procedural planning.

Source: Frontiers in Medicine

DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1970327

Authors: Dan Li, Peijun Chen, Wenzhi Zhang

Institution: Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801