Objective To investigate the clinical value of ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage in the treatment of liver abscess from the aspects of laboratory markers and size of abscess. Methods A total of 79 patients with liver abscess who underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage in Department of Gastroenterology in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from January 2013 to August 2018 were enrolled, among whom 36 patients who were lost or transferred, abandoned treatment, had an age pf < 18 years, or were not followed up in the outpatient service were excluded. A total of 43 patients were finally included in the retrospective study. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results All 43 patients achieved a one-time success of puncture and placement of drainage tube. Of all 43 patients, 36 had fear of cold and pyrexia, among whom 31 (86. 1%) had a normal body temperature on day 3 after surgery, and there were significant changes in leukocyte count, percentage of neutrophils, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase after surgery (t = 6. 668, 6. 255, 2. 337, 3. 001, and 5. 198, all P < 0. 05) . There was a significant reduction in the diameter of abscess after surgery (74 ± 31 mm vs 31 ±28 mm, t = 18. 517, P < 0. 05) . The average length of hospital stay was 19. 84 ± 9. 37 days. Of all 43 patients, 19 (44. 2%) were cured and 24 (55. 8%) had response to treatment. Of all 43 patients, 38 had positive results of liver abscess culture, among whom 25 (65. 8%) had Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, suggesting that Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common pathogenic bacteria. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage has a high success rate, few complications, and reliable clinical efficacy in the treatment of liver abscess. Therefore, it is recommended as the first choice for the clinical treatment of liver abscess.