Background: Primary psoas abscesses of the psoas muscle are relatively rare in childhood and can determine problems of diagnosis and therapeutic assumption.
Aim: To demonstrate that ultrasonography is an excellent means in diagnosis and treatment of psoas abscess in children limiting the use of CT more costly and radiant and the surgery that is decaying.
Methods: Over a 15 years period (January 1995-december 2009), 16 children with psoas abscess were studied retrospectively. The diagnosis gait was based on questioning, clinical examination and imaging techniques and, in first sight, ultrasonography.
Results: Median age of our patients was 6.4 years (extremes 18 months-14 years) and mean delay of evolution was 12 days. Fever and lumbar pain were both constants, associated with another signs like painful boitery, psoitis, mictional burns and lumbar mass. The ultrasonography made in 16 patients allowed to the diagnosis in all cases. The tomodensitometry, made in 3 patients, confirmed the ultrasonography. Echo guided percutaneous drainage, made in 14 cases, was successful in 12. The examination of pus showed S Aureus in 11 cases and E coli in the other.
Conclusion: Ultrasonography is a very important means in the primary psoas abscess in children. In addition to give diagnosis, this technique allows the drainage and the cure of the collection, limiting the open surgery to some particular cases.