Percutaneous transcatheter ethanol sclerotherapy of postoperative pelvic lymphoceles

Although percutaneous procedures have been used for the treatment of lymphoceles, transcatheter sclerosing therapy has not been widely applied. We present the results of transcatheter sclerotherapy of lymphoceles with 96% absolute ethanol in 7 patients who had developed lymphocele after pelvic lymphadenectomy for uterine cancer. Seven of the eight lymphoceles (88%) completely disappeared after treatment. The duration of catheter drainage ranged from 4 to 21 days. Although one lymphocele did not resolve completely, it did not require surgery as the patient's symptoms resolved.