Pelvic abscess: A late complication of abdominal trachelectomy for cervical cancer

Only a few reports of pelvic abscess as a late complication of trachelectomy have been published to date. To evaluate the cases of pelvic abscess as a late complication of abdominal trachelectomy for cervical cancer.

In June 2005, we began a clinical trial of abdominal trachelectomy at our institution. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent trachelectomy and extracted the data of patients who experienced pelvic abscess as a late complication.

From June 2005 to September 2017, we performed 181 trachelectomies at our institution. In total, 15 pelvic abscesses occurred in 12 of these patients more than 1 month after trachelectomy. The median postoperative period before the onset of pelvic abscess was 51 months (range, 1-104 months). Among the 15 cases, abscess formed in the uterine adnexa in 12, in a pelvic lymphocyst in two, and in the uterus in one. Abscess drainage was performed in six cases. Three patients underwent laparotomy with salpingo-oophorectomy.

It is possible that not only surgical removal of the uterine cervix but also the use of nonabsorbable suture in cervical cerclage and placement of an intrauterine device triggered post-trachelectomy infection. Pelvic abscess can occur as a late complication of abdominal trachelectomy.