Complications of groin dissection in penile cancer. Experience with 101 lymphadenectomies

To assess the operative morbidity, we reviewed retrospectively 101 groin dissections performed in 67 patients for management of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. No patients died, but only 18 per cent experienced no postoperative complications. Early complications included flap necrosis in 50 per cent, seroma in 16 per cent, wound infection in 14 per cent, lymphocele in 9 per cent, and thrombophlebitis in 6 per cent. Leg edema developed in 50 per cent of those operated on and remained severe in about one third of these. The frequency of complications has changed little over the thirty-five-year time span of the study and is not related to the extent of the surgical procedure. In view of the high operative morbidity, caution should be exercised against using the surgical procedure injudiciously.