A enormous retroperitoneal lymphatic cyst in 10 years after lymphadenectomy

Abstract

The removal of regional lymph nodes is an important part of the radical treatment of certain cancers. In the majority of regional lymphadenectomies the consequence is the emergence of spontaneous lymphorrhoea. However, for 12–32% of patients, we observed that in the area of the lymphadenectomy, the content of the collected seroma is converted into a lymphatic cyst. Diagnosis and treatment in these cases is dependent on the size and location of the lymphatic cyst. This case report describes a 74 year-old patient who was diagnosed with, and received treatment for, a retroperitoneal lymphatic cyst. On the basis of both clinical symptoms and imaging results, the patient was classified to receive removal of a lymphocele by laparotomy. Intraoperative evaluation further confirmed the validity of the preoperative decision. Both surgery and the postoperative period were uneventful. It is interesting that 10 years after the operation, primary absorbent cyst formation occurred in this patient’s surgical area, a phenomena which should be considered as a possible outcome during the postoperative observation of oncological patients.