Comparative outcomes of interventional and surgical management of abdominal lymphatic cysts in children

Objective To investigate the efficacy of interventional and surgical treatment for pediatric abdominal lymphatic cysts (ALC), and provide evidence for the selection of clinical treatment strategies. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with ALC from January 2015 to December 2025. The patients were divided into an interventional group and a surgical group according to the initial treatment modality. Baseline data were collected for all patients meeting the inclusion criteria, encompassing variables such as gender, age, weight, pre-treatment cyst size, clinical manifestations, cyst location, cyst type, treatment method, treatment efficacy, postoperative complications, and recurrence rate. These data were subsequently compared across different groups. Results The present study included a total of 21 pediatric patients diagnosed with abdominal lymphangioma, comprising 12 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 6.33 ± 2.54 years. Participants were allocated into two groups based on their initial treatment: the intervention group ( n = 9) and the operation group ( n = 12). The follow-up period post-discharge ranged from 6 months to 10 years, with a median duration of 4.2 years. No significant differences were observed between the two groups concerning gender, age, weight, cyst size, cyst location, or cyst type ( P > 0.05). However, the incidence of acute abdomen was significantly higher in the operation group compared to the intervention group (6 cases vs. 0 cases). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications or recurrence rates ( P > 0.05). Conversely, the operation group exhibited a significantly higher treatment efficacy rate (100% vs. 66.7%), hospitalization costs (14,418 ± 2,031 yuan vs. 11,075 ± 1,309 yuan), and length of hospital stay (8.5 ± 2.2 days vs. 5.3 ± 1.6 days) compared to the intervention group, with these differences being statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusions Interventional therapy may serve as the primary treatment option for ALC, offering benefits such as minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery, and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, in the presence of complications like acute abdomen, surgical intervention is advised, with a preference for laparoscopic exploration.