What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the effectiveness of various sclerosant agents in treating postoperative lymphoceles through a meta-analysis.

February 19, 2026CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology0 citationsOpen Access

Percutaneous Sclerotherapy of Postoperative Lymphoceles: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Different Sclerosant Agents

MLMarcello LippiUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore APAlessandro Posa GQGianmarco QuartaUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Key Points

To evaluate the effectiveness of various sclerosant agents in treating postoperative lymphoceles through a meta-analysis.
Performed a systematic review and meta-analysis using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.
Included studies on postoperative lymphoceles treated with different sclerosant agents.
Pooled success, recurrence, and complication rates for each agent. Risk of bias and evidence certainty were assessed.
Ethanol achieved a high clinical success rate of 97.4% with a low recurrence rate of 6.7%.
Other agents showed similar effectiveness but lower evidence certainty.
Complication rates were low, with 12.2% reporting mild adverse events and only two major complications.

Abstract

Abstract Purpose This study aims to provide a meta-analysis of relevant outcomes related to various sclerosant agents used in percutaneous lymphocele sclerotherapy. Materials and Methods A systematic review, registered on PROSPERO (Record CRD420251180687), was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, including studies reporting any kind of postoperative lymphoceles treated with a sclerosant agent. Searches were updated to November 2025. Pooled success, recurrence, and complication rates were estimated for each sclerosant agent, and differences across agents were explored. The risk of bias was assessed using Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies, while the certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Results Sixteen studies were included—fifteen retrospective and one prospective—reporting on different sclerosant agents: ethanol, povidone-iodine, OK-432, fibrin glue, polidocanol, and doxycycline. A total of 335 lymphoceles were studied. Ethanol showed the most consistent results, with high clinical success (97.4%, 95% CI 82.6–99.7%) and low recurrence rates across the studies (6.7%, 95% CI 3.1–14.2%). The other sclerosant agents yielded similar results but with a lower grade of evidence certainty. Minor complication rates were low (12.2%), consisting predominantly of mild and self-limiting adverse events; only two major complications were reported. Limitations were heterogeneity among studies and predominance of retrospective designs. Conclusions Percutaneous sclerotherapy yielded favorable results with all agents; however, ethanol is the best-characterized agent, with consistent outcomes and moderate certainty of evidence. High-quality, prospective research is needed in order to choose the best sclerosant agent and standardize the procedure. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of retrospective non-comparative studies. Graphical Abstract

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