Comparative outcomes of interventional and surgical management of abdominal lymphatic cysts in children.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of interventional and surgical treatment for pediatric abdominal lymphatic cysts (ALC), and provide evidence for the selection of clinical treatment strategies. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with ALC from January 2015 to December 2025. The patients were divided into an interventional group and a surgical group according to the initial treatment modality. Baseline data were collected for all patients meeting the inclusion criteria, encompassing variables such as gender, age, weight, pre-treatment cyst size, clinical manifestations, cyst location, cyst type, treatment method, treatment efficacy, postoperative complications, and recurrence rate. These data were subsequently compared across different groups. Results: The present study included a total of 21 pediatric patients diagnosed with abdominal lymphangioma, comprising 12 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 6.33 ± 2.54 years. Participants were allocated into two groups based on their initial treatment: the intervention group ( Conclusions: Interventional therapy may serve as the primary treatment option for ALC, offering benefits such as minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery, and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, in the presence of complications like acute abdomen, surgical intervention is advised, with a preference for laparoscopic exploration.