Surgical Treatment of Bartholin's Gland Abscess: Is Word Catheter Superior to Marsupialization?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Bartholin's gland abscess may occur in up to 2% of the women. Surgical drainage using the Word catheter application or marsupialization is the treatment of choice in the management of Bartholin's gland abscess. We aimed to compare the abscess recurrence rates between these 2 surgical methods. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort database study. SETTING: A university-affiliated, high-volume teaching hospital in southern Israel. PATIENTS: All women who were surgically treated for Bartholin's gland abscess. INTERVENTIONS: Different clinical and postoperative characteristics were retrieved from the patients' records. A univariate analysis was conducted, and p <.05 was considered significant. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During the study period, 321 women were admitted to our center with Bartholin's gland abscess and were managed surgically. Of these, 215 (67%) were treated using the Word catheter and 106 (33%) by drainage and marsupialization. No differences were found in clinical and microbiologic features between the study groups. In addition, recurrence rates as well as recurrent admissions did not differ significantly. Postoperative complications were similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Our study reassures that both the Word catheter application and marsupialization are appropriate and safe when treating Bartholin's gland abscess.