Inflamed pancreatic pseudocyst: optimization of pseudocyst fluid culture technique.

A serious complication of pancreatitis, inflamed pseudocyst is associated with considerable morbidity and relatively high mortality rate. In this study chronic pancreatic pseudocyst fluid was cultured by the conventional method as well as by a method of bedside inoculation of blood culture bottles with pseudocyst fluid. The conventional method grew bacteria in only 26 (65%) of 40 patients with chronic pancreatic pseudocyst, whereas the blood culture bottles grew bacteria in 38 (95%) patients (p < 0.001). The blood culture bottle method also resulted in more rapid detection of bacterial growth (p < 0.001). Inoculation of pseudocyst fluid into the blood culture method seems more sensitive than the conventional method in detecting inflamed pancreatic pseudocyst probably due to the low pseudocyst concentration of bacteria observed in this study.