Postoperative groin lymphocele: an overview of old and new therapeutical strategies

Abstract

Lymphatic complications (lymphoma and lymphorrae) following vascular access or interventions in the groin are frequently benign but may increase the risk of wound infection, need for reintervention, and prolong the length of the hospital stay. Several management strategies have been developed so far, including percutaneous drainage, chemical sclerotherapy, and surgery, but a validated treatment algorithm has yet to be established in the current literature. In this paper, the authors investigated the indications and outcomes of currently available strategies for treating groin lymphocele following surgical dissection of the femoral vessels and suggested an algorithm for treating this potentially severe complication.

Keywords

• Inguinal lymphocele
• ligation of lymphatic vessels
• lymphatic fluid
• lymphocele
• lymphocele excision