Presentation
Left loin pain
Patient Data
The left kidney appears small in size, measuring 5 x 2.5 cm, with thinned renal parenchyma, mild dilatation of the left renal collecting system, and left ureter (mild hydroureteronephrosis)
Post nephrectomy FU after 2 months
Post left nephrectomy retroperitoneal well-defined ovoid cystic lesion at the operative bed, measures 3.5 x 5 x 5 cm. It contains multiple small fat globules within it. Mild blurring of the surrounding fat planes is also noted
Annotated images highlight the Hounsfield unit of the fat globules
Case Discussion
Lymphoceles are collections of lymphatic fluid that happen most frequently in the postoperative setting. Although they can occur in potentially any part of the body where lymphatic tissue is resected (e.g. lymphadenectomy) or injured in trauma, they are most commonly seen in the retroperitoneum.
They present as a cystic lesion on CT of predominantly fluid density. The presence of intracystic fat globules is rare however it is highly suggestive of lymphatic fluid 1.
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