Do Groin Drains Reduce Postoperative Morbidity in Women Undergoing Inguinofemoral Lymphadenectomy for Vulvar Cancer?

Objective: Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been widely adopted in the surgical management of women with early-stage vulvar cancer, but many patients require inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL). Following IFL, many surgeons drain the groin to prevent lymphocyst formation despite a lack of evidence to support this practice. Our objective was to investigate whether groin drains after IFL are associated with reduced postoperative morbidity in women undergoing surgery for vulvar cancer.