We report the case of a large pelvic lymphocele after an ovarian cancer operation, which incidentally vanished after bleeding resulting from percutaneous catheter drainage. The patient was a 74-year-old woman with stage IVB ovarian cancer who underwent surgery including pelvic lymph node dissection. Three months after surgery, computed tomography revealed a large (13-cm diameter) pelvic lymphocele with associated bilateral hydronephrosis and left femoral vein thrombosis. The lymphocele was repeatedly drained by percutaneous aspiration, and the day after the second procedure, the drainage fluid became bloody. The catheter was clamped for 3 days and then removed. The lymphocele volume gradually decreased, and it was not seen on a computed tomography scan 70 days after drainage. The lymphocele did not recur prior to her death. In this case, the intracystic hemorrhage was considered to have served as a blood patch for lymph leakage.
Keywords: autologous blood; blood patch; drainage; lymphocele/lymphocyst; sclerotherapy.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.