Most abscesses are managed with intravenous antibiotic therapy to enable the organization of the lesion and to reduce local extension of the infection. After that period, definitive treatment consists of aspiration, incision and drainage, or excision.
Currently, nonoperative approaches (ie, prolonged courses of parenteral antibiotics) are rarely used. An exception is an abscess at an inoperable site. Such cases are uncommon, as many abscesses that were once inoperable can now be reached by stereotactic aspiration guided by precision mapping of the lesion's location with CT or MRI. Magnetic resonance fluoroscopy is used to guide aspiration instead of stereotactic aspiration.