[Ultrasonically-guided percutaneous puncture and drainage of a splenic abscess caused by Salmonella heidelberg in a child].

In a boy aged 9 years and 11 months pain developed in the left upper abdomen following Salmonella enteritis infection. Purulent splenitis was diagnosed by sonography. Ultrasonically guided percutaneous puncture and drainage, and appropriate chemotherapy led to a marked improvement in the clinical picture and finally to complication-free remission. In a review of the literature the problems associated with purulent splenitis and the possibility of treating it by percutaneous puncture are pointed out. Purulent splenitis should be considered in all patients with temperatures and unexplained abdominal pain.