CONTEXT:

The incidence of lymphocele after renal transplantation varies between 0.6 and 18 percent of cases, and many factors have been associated to its etiology. Cellular rejection of the kidney allograft has been described as a possible causal factor of lymphocele.

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the possible relationship between lymphocele and acute cellular rejection.

DESIGN:

A retrospective study.

SETTING:

A referral hospital center.

SAMPLE:

170 patients submitted to kidney transplantation from March 1992 to January 1997. A standard technique for renal transplantation was used.

RESULTS:

Of the 19 patients that developed lymphocele, 16 presented at least one episode of acute cell rejection (84 percent), and were treated with methylprednisolone. The relation between lymphocele and rejection was statistically significant (p = 0.04). Treatment of lymphocele consisted of peritoneal marsupialization in 3 patients (15.3 percent), percutaneous drainage in 7 (36.8 percent), laparascopic marsupialization in 2 (10.5 percent), and conservative treatment in 7 patients (36.8percent. Evolution was favorable in 15 patients (78.9 percent), 1 patient (5.3 percent) died due to a cause unrelated to lymphocele, and 3 (15.8 percent) lost the graft due to immunological factors. The average follow-up period was 24.5 months.

CONCLUSION:

The high incidence of acute cell rejection in patients with lymphocele suggests a possible causal relationship between both conditions