Medical Treatment

Depending upon the severity of the abscess and any other medical problems, treatment may be accomplished on an outpatient or inpatient basis. The treatment plan should be explained to you in detail.

• Minor surgery may be performed in the doctor's office or in the emergency department using local anesthesia (an injection in the infected area) and, possibly, IV sedation. You should be able to go home when you are awake and will be given prescription pain medicine for the first few days.

• Alternatively, the surgery may be done in the operating room by a surgeon using spinal anesthesia (you are awake and numb from the waist down) or general anesthesia (you are "asleep"). Your hospital stay may be overnight or several days.

• Admission to the hospital may be required with an IV line for fluids, antibiotics, and pain medicine.

• You may need an update of your tetanus booster, if this has not been done in the past 5-10 years.

• Blood and other tests may need to be repeated to evaluate your progress after treatment.