Laparoscopic drainage of lymphocele after kidney transplant

Lymphocele can develop after renal transplantation. Surgical internal drainage to the abdominal cavity through a standard laparotomy is indicated for symptomatic persistent lesions. Internal drainage can be performed laparoscopically. In this report, we describe our laparoscopic surgical technique for drainage and analyze our results in five patients with lymphoceles that developed after kidney transplantation. All the patients were male, with a mean age of 29 +/- 10 years. The volume of fluid in the lymphoceles ranged from 500 to 1000 mL. Percutaneous drainage was selected as the initial treatment without success. A laparoscopic peritoneal window was created in all patients under intraoperative ultrasonographic guidance. The mean operative time was 90 minutes. In all patients, the fluid collections resolved after laparoscopic internal drainage without complications. During a mean follow-up of 3 +/- 2 years, all patients remained asymptomatic, and no additional fluid collections were identified.