2024 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on Complicated Intra-abdominal Infections: Diagnostic Imaging of Suspected Acute Intra-abdominal Abscess in Adults, Children, and Pregnant People.

This article presents updated clinical practice guideline recommendations from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) on diagnostic imaging for suspected acute intra-abdominal abscess in adults, children, and pregnant people. For non-pregnant adults and adolescents, abdominal computed tomography (CT) with intravenous contrast is suggested as the initial imaging modality, while abdominal ultrasonography (US) is recommended first for children due to concerns about radiation exposure and sedation. In cases where initial imaging is inconclusive, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging or CT may be considered as subsequent modalities, with no clear preference established for pregnant people between US and MR imaging. These recommendations are based on systematic literature reviews and graded using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach but are supported by very low certainty evidence, highlighting the need for further research, especially in pediatric and pregnant populations.