Background
:Regional lymphadenitis is a common complication after BCG vaccination and has various clinical course. Various treatment, including medical, surgical, and combined are used to treat BCG lymphadenitis, but results are controversial. This study was performed to provide guidelines for surgical approach to BCG lymphadenitis.
Materials and Methods:37 patients with BCG lymphadenitis at Yeungnam University Hospital between March 2004 and August 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Suppurative BCG lymphadenitis were treated by surgical excision or incision and curettage. Non-suppurative BCG lymphadenitis were observed without any treatment and surgical treatment was applied when it became suppurative.
Results
:The mean age was 7.5 months(range 2-47 months) and most prevalent site of lesion was the ipsilateral axilla. Among 37 cases, 20 cases were already suppurative when diagnosed and 2 cases of 17 non-suppurative BCG lymphadenitis showed spontaneous resolution without any treatment. Surgery was performed successfully on 35 suppurative BCG lymphadenitis and postoperative complication was trivial.
Conclusion
:Suppurative BCG lymphadenitis were successfully treated with excision or incision and curettage without any serious complication. So non-suppurative BCG lymphadenitis can be observed expecting spontaneous resolution.