Perkutse

Perkutse is the Estonian term for percutaneous procedures in medicine, referring to techniques performed by accessing the body through the skin to reach internal organs or tissues for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. These procedures are typically guided by imaging to improve accuracy and safety.

Common perkutse procedures include percutaneous biopsy, which obtains tissue samples from tumors or lesions; percutaneous drainage, used to remove abscesses or fluid collections; and catheter placements such as percutaneous nephrostomy or biliary drainage. Ablation therapies using heat or cold may also be delivered percutaneously to destroy diseased tissue. Perkutse methods are frequently part of interventional radiology and can be combined with other minimally invasive approaches.

The procedures are usually performed by interventional radiologists or other specialists trained in image-guided techniques. They involve sterile technique, local anesthesia (with or without sedation), and real-time imaging guidance using ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or fluoroscopy to maximize precision and minimize complications.

Advantages include reduced invasiveness, shorter recovery times, less post-procedural pain, and often outpatient feasibility compared with open surgical approaches. These benefits have contributed to wide adoption in diagnostic and therapeutic settings.

Risks include bleeding, infection, injury to adjacent structures, and puncture-related complications such as pneumothorax or contrast reactions. Contraindications may involve uncorrectable coagulopathy, extensive infection, or lesions that are inaccessible or unsafe to target percutaneously.

See also: interventional radiology, percutaneous biopsy, percutaneous drainage.