Combination therapy of CT-guided percutaneous drainage and antibiotics is the first-line treatment for abscesses. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated. However, the therapeutic impact of this procedure for infection treatment has never been reported. We retrospectively analyzed all 47 patients who received CT-guided percutaneous drainage for infection treatment. Patients' characteristics, pathogens isolated, antibiotics administered, technical and clinical outcomes, complications related to this procedure and therapeutic impacts were investigated. Patients were 26 males and 21 females. The mean age was 63.5 years (±18.7). The diseases targeted were 19 retroperitoneal abscesses, 18 intraabdominal abscesses, three pelvic abscesses, and seven others. As for technical outcomes, all of the 54 procedures (100%) were successful. As for clinical outcomes, 44 (93.6%) were cured and three patients (6.4%) died. No complications related to this procedure were found in this study. A total of 42 patients (88%) had a change in the management of their infection as a result of CT-guided percutaneous drainage, such as selection and discontinuation of antibiotics. In conclusion, CT-guided percutaneous drainage is a safe and favorable procedure in the treatment of deep tissue abscesses. Therapeutic impact of these procedures helped physicians make a rational decision for antibiotics selection.

Um homem de 79 anos procurou tratamento no pronto-socorro com queixas de febre persistente, dor torácica e fadiga geral. A radiografia de tórax mostrou uma bolha gigante infecciosa (24 cm de diâmetro) no pulmão esquerdo. O paciente não tinha histórico de anormalidades em radiografias, e seu ultimo check-up médico no ano anterior não revelou anormalidades. Os procedimentos diagnósticos, incluindo broncoscopia, revelaram câncer de pulmão (carcinoma de pulmão de células grandes) no brônquio inferior esquerdo. O tumor obstruía a via aérea. Apesar de vários relatos de bolhas gigantes, a sua etiologia ainda é desconhecida. Nós sugerimos que uma obstrução, como a causada pelo tumor neste caso, pode causar aprisionamento aéreo, resultando na formação de uma bolha. No caso de uma bolha gigante que cresce rapidamente de tamanho, o câncer de pulmão deve ser incluído no diagnóstico diferencial

A 79 year-old man sought treatment in the emergency room complaining of persistent fever, chest pain, and general fatigue. A chest X-ray showed a giant infectious bulla (24 cm in diameter) in the left lung. The patient had no history of abnormalities on X-rays, and his latest medical check-up, conducted in the preceding year, had produced no abnormal findings. Diagnostic procedures, including bronchoscopy, revealed lung cancer (large cell carcinoma) in the left lower bronchus. The tumor obstructed the airway. Although there have been various reports of giant bullae, their etiology remains unknown. We suggest that an obstruction, such as that caused by the tumor in this case, can lead to air trapping, resulting in the formation of a bulla. In the case of a giant bulla that rapidly increases in size, lung cancer should be included in the differential diagnosis