Because of the rare incidence of splenic abscesses and bleeding, only a few cases are described in the literature on percutaneous drainage of splenic abscesses. We report on eight cases (three male, five female, average age 74.1 +/- 10.76 years) of percutaneous, sonographically controlled catheter drainage of large splenic abscesses. RESULTS Percutaneous, sonographically controlled drainage of splenic abscesses was feasible in all eight cases in the last 5 years (trocar technique, drain: 12-16 F, abscess contents 70-750 ml). In seven of eight cases, therapy with percutaneous, sonographically controlled drainage of the splenic abscess and rinsing of the abscess cavity over several days was successful. In two cases, however, a recurrent abscess had to be drained repeatedly with sonographic control, and this was successful. In one case a colitis-related fistula prevented successful drainage of an infected subcapsular splenic hematoma. The following splenectomy, however, proved the infected hematoma to be completely drained. In this study there were no complications like bleeding, injury of pleura or colon. The advantages of percutaneous drainage are: the spleen is not removed; conservative therapy is beneficial, particularly in multimorbid patients with a high surgical risk; there is no transmission of bacteria; the method is safe and effective.