Objective: To determine the incidence of lymphocele in the follow-up of patients who underwent renal transplantation, as well as potential factors responsible or associated to its development.
Materials and methods: All records from patients who were treated for lymphocele in our institution between May 1989 and December 2002 were reviewed, as well as their clinical outcome following treatment.
Results: Among 450 patients who underwent renal transplantation in the period, only 3 required treatment, with 2 of them treated due to the collection volume, and the other due to symptoms (pain), representing an incidence of only 0.6%.
Comments: The occurrence of perirenal fluid collections following renal transplantation is frequent. In cases where treatment is required, this can generate an excessive morbidity for the patient, which motivates the development of preventive methods, such as minimally invasive therapy, for such cases.
Conclusion: Careful ligation of lymphatic vessels both during graft preparation and during its implantation, added to post-operative drainage can significantly contribute to reducing the incidence of lymphocele following renal transplantation.