Surgical management of Bartholin cysts and abscesses in French university hospitals

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the methods used to manage Bartholin gland abscesses and cysts in French university hospitals.

Method: Data for this descriptive, cross-sectional study with self-reported data were collected between January and March 2018 by an online questionnaire. The 11 items of the questionnaire assessed the surgical techniques known and used, the type of hospitalization, and the non-surgical management to treat Bartholin gland abscesses and cysts.

Results: Overall, 116 obstetrics-gynecology residents responded to the online questionnaire. The three best-known techniques were incision and drainage, marsupialization, and excision of the Bartholin gland. Only 3% of the physicians knew about other techniques. Most participants reported that their unit treated 2-6 Bartholin gland abscesses monthly and fewer than 2 cysts. The most frequent treatment for abscess was incision-drainage (87%), followed by marsupialization (13%). The most widely used treatment for the cysts was gland excision (68.5%) followed by marsupialization (22.5%). In both cases, management generally took place on an outpatient basis (92.9%).

Conclusion: This study showed that 87% of the respondents used incision-drainage for Bartholin gland abscesses, although the recurrence and complication rates of this technique have never been evaluated.

Keywords: Abscess; Bartholin gland; Cyst; Marsupialization.