Needle Aspiration and Syndromic Management of Bartholin's Abscess

A series of Bartholin's abscesses was managed on an outpatient basis by needle aspiration followed by triple antimicrobial therapy. The absence of Neisseria gonorrhoea was evident in 27.8 per cent of the cases. Based on the premise that Bartholin's abscess is to be treated as a sexually transmitted disease (STD), the choice of antimicrobials was made in line with the syndromic management of STDs. All the patients were reviewed after one week and two-thirds of them after six months. There was no long-term recurrence among the women who returned for follow-up. Client satisfaction was excellent. The procedure provides immediate relief, avoids hospitalisation and related costs, as well as the morbidity resulting from traditional surgical approaches. (Afr J Reprod Health 1999; 3 [1]: 103 - 108) Key Words: Bartholin's abscess, needle aspiration, sexually transmitted disease, syndromic management