Safety of sonographically guided aspiration of intramuscular, bursal, articular and subcutaneous hematomas

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of sonographically guided aspiration of intramuscular, bursal and subcutaneous hematomas. Materials and methods: One hundred eleven interventions were performed in 75 patients at a single institution from January 2005 to December 2009. In all cases the target of interest was identified with ultrasonography. Results: Ninety-six procedures (87.3%) were successful, 14 procedures (12.7%) were unsuccessful due to excessive density and/or viscosity of the content. No significant complications were encountered during or immediately after any procedure. Clinical follow-up records were available for 73 (75%) procedures in 45 (66%) patients, 30 patients did not return for follow-up after hematoma evacuation. No septic or hemorrhagic complications or cases of neurovascular compromise were recorded. Conclusions: Sonographically guided hematoma evacuation is a safe procedure. However, the proportion of unsuccessful evacuations and hematoma recurrence is substantial.