Balloon catheter treatment for a Bartholin cyst

A clinician usually makes a small opening in the swollen area, allows the contents to drain, and places a soft tube with a tiny balloon at its tip. The balloon helps hold the tube in position during healing.

A Bartholin cyst forms when the duct of a gland near the vaginal opening becomes blocked. If infection develops, the collection may become an abscess and cause marked swelling, tenderness, or vulval pain. The catheter creates a drainage route without removing the gland.

The tube may remain in place for several weeks so the tissue can form a new channel around it. Mild discomfort, light discharge, or a small amount of spotting can occur after placement. Your clinician should explain washing, activity, pain relief, and whether to avoid sex or tampons while it heals.

Follow the aftercare instructions from the treating clinic. Keep the area gently clean and dry, use only the pain medicine recommended for you, and attend the planned check so the catheter can be assessed or removed. Do not pull, twist, deflate, or try to replace it yourself.

If the catheter falls out, contact the clinic and tell them when it happened and how the area feels. The next step depends on drainage, healing, and whether swelling has returned. Recurrent cysts or abscesses may be managed with another drainage procedure or marsupialisation.

Seek prompt medical advice if pain or swelling is worsening, pus or a strong-smelling discharge appears, bleeding is more than light spotting, you develop fever or feel generally unwell, or you cannot pass urine comfortably. These features can signal infection, blocked drainage, or another problem needing assessment.

Contact the treating clinic if the balloon feels exposed, the tube is digging into the skin, or the catheter comes out before the planned review. Get urgent help for severe rapidly worsening pain, heavy bleeding, fainting, confusion, or difficulty breathing.

Ask how long the catheter is expected to stay, how to clean around it, which activities to pause, and whom to contact if it falls out. You can also ask what follow-up is planned, how recurrence would be managed, and whether marsupialisation is relevant in your situation.