Background: Liver abscess is a frequently encountered disease in developing countries like India and may be caused by various pathogens such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi or mixed infections. Ultrasound guided percutaneous drainage of liver abscess has emerged  as a primary modality in management of uncomplicated liver abscess in the recent years .The aim of the study is to evaluate the role of ultrasonography and  percutaneous pigtail catheterization in the management of liver abscess.

Methods: Prospective study was conducted on 36 patients  of  liver abscess who underwent percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage at the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Dr .Susheela  Tiwari  Memorial  Hospital, Haldwani, Uttarakhand over a period of one year.

Results: Out of 36 patients, 33 were males and only 3 were females with majority of patients in 3^rd decade of life. The common clinical features were pain abdomen, fever and hepatomegaly. 29 patients had a solitary liver abscess while 7 had multiple lesions with a pattern of right lobe predominance. The maximum number of  patients were found to have mixed echogenicity lesion with irregular shaggy wall (63.8%). The mean amount of pus drained was 420 ml (approx.) on an average of 3 days. The outcome was successful in 35 patients. One patient developed pyothorax due to the trandiaphragmatic rupture of the abscess into the pleural cavity.  The minor complications encountered were leakage from the site of catheter insertion, catheter displacement, hemorrhage and wound infection.

Conclusion: Percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage was found to be beneficial and minimally invasive technique for the management of liver abscess. It is associated with low morbidity and mortality, with faster relief of symptoms and overall high success rate in treating liver abscess.