Incision and Drainage Versus Needle Aspiration in Soft Tissue Abscesses

Ultrasound Guided Needle Drainage Versus Formal Incision and Drainage of Superficial Soft Tissue Abscesses in the Emergency Department Setting

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01085929

Enrollment

101

Registered

2010-03-12

Start date

2008-08-31

Completion date

2009-12-31

Last updated

2010-03-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Abscess, Cellulitis

Keywords

abscess, infection, ultrasound guidance, incision and drainage, needle aspiration, skin, ultrasound

Brief summary

The incidence of skin and soft tissue infections has increased dramatically over the last decade, in part due to increased prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Incision and drainage (I&D) is considered the primary intervention, however some clinicians prefer ultrasound guided needle aspiration (US Asp). The investigators performed a randomized trial comparing US Asp to I&D for uncomplicated skin and soft tissue abscesses, with a subgroup analysis of patients with CA-MRSA.

Interventions

PROCEDUREIncision and Drainage

Surgical incision of the skin surface followed by expression of purulence with or without debridement or manual exploration of abscess cavity.

PROCEDUREUltrasound Guided Aspiration

Ultrasound is used to identify the abscess cavity. An 18 gauge needle is introduced into the abscess cavity and manual aspiration of the abscess contents is attempted.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* presenting to emergency department with skin abscess * abscess required surgical drainage * healthy appearing

Exclusion criteria

* pregnant * unable to give consent * abscess located in oral cavity * abscess located on genitalia * abscess located intra-gluteal at coccyx

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Successful drainage of abscess	7 days	Clinical outcome at 7 days

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Successful drainage of abscess	2 days	Healing of abscess following drainage procedure at day 2
Ability to evacuate purulence from abscess	Day 1	Amount of purulence produced by drainage procedure on day 1

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026