Office-based management of Bartholin cysts and abscesses: a comparison of three surgical methods

Abstract

Aim: In the present study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of incision + drainage alone, marsupialization, and incision + drainage followed by silver nitrate application for the office management of Bartholin cysts/abscesses. Material and Method: A total of 128 women who presented to our clinic, diagnosed with Bartholin cysts/abscesses and underwent Bartholin gland sparing office-based surgery were included in this retrospective study. Patients’ demographic data, laterality and size of the cyst, surgical method performed, operational time, presence of recurrence, and treatment method of recurrent cysts/abscesses were recorded. Patients were divided into three group according to the operation they have undergone as incision + drainage alone, incision + drainage followed by silver nitrate, marsupialization. Results: The mean cyst diameter was found as 3.00±1.05 cm. Eighteen (14.1%) patients developed recurrence. Of all patients, 37.5% underwent incision + drainage alone, 8.6% incision + drainage followed by silver nitrate application and 62.5% marsupialization. The mean operational time was significantly longer in the marsupialization group compared to incision + drainage alone and incision + drainage followed by silver nitrate groups (both, p<0.001). None of the patients in the marsupialization group developed recurrence, while recurrence was observed in 35.1% of the patients in the incision + drainage and 45.5% of the patients in the incision drainage + silver nitrate group. Conclusion: Marsupialization technique was superior over the other techniques in terms of recurrence. However, operational time was longer with this technique and no definitive conclusion could be drawn.