Laparoscopic fenestration for a symptomatic lymphocele in renal graft after living-donor kidney transplantation]

A 36-year-old female received protocol biopsy at 1 month after living donor kidney transplantation. At 3 months post-transplantation, presence of a growing cystic mass in the kidney graft which had not been detected preoperatively, was demonstrated by ultrasound and computed tomography. The patient had an abdominal pain around the graft. Percutaneous drainage and sclerotherapy with minocyclin were performed twice, but the cystic mass, nevertheless, became enlarged and the abdominal pain recurred again. Laparoscopic fenestration was then performed. Immunohistochemistry of the cystic mass wall showed that it was CD34 (-), EMA (-), Megalin (-), but D2-40 (+). These results suggested that the cystic mass was derived from lymphatic vessels, which developed into lymphocele in the graft. We concluded that lymphatic vessels could have been injured and obstructed by the protocol biopsy. This is the first report of successful laparoscopic fenestration for lymphocele in the kidney graft.