Spermatocele following kidney transplant

Abstract

Lymphocele following kidney transplant is a common occurrence, but on occasion, what appears to be a lymphocele is not. We present an unusual case of a kidney transplant recipient whose presumed lymphocele was actually a spermatocele. Our patient is a 60-year-old man who is 11 years status post his second deceased donor kidney transplant. The original cause of his renal failure was poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. He was followed with this nonobstructing lymphocele for years, but wished to have it addressed at the time of sigmoidectomy for recurrent diverticulitis. Preoperative imaging included CT scan, which showed a 12 cm × 6 cm collection, of greater density than simple fluid, adjacent to the bladder, and causing mass effect on the bladder. Intraoperatively, the collection was somewhat atypical for a lymphocele, and located posterior to the bladder. Cultures were negative, but evaluation of the fluid revealed it to be a spermatocele. Postoperative ultrasound demonstrated full resolution of the collection.