Intranodal Lymphangiography and Embolization for Management of Iatrogenic Chylous Ascites after Oncological Surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of intranodal lymphangiography (INL) and lymphatic embolization (LE) in management of chylous ascites after oncologic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of records of patients who underwent INL with or without LE from January 2017 to June 2022 was performed. Adult patients with chylous ascites after oncologic surgery referred to interventional radiology after failure of conservative treatment were included. Thirty-nine patients who underwent 55 procedures were included (34 males and 5 females). Data on patient demographics, procedural technique, outcomes, and follow-up were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to illustrate technical success, clinical success, and adverse events. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors predicting clinical success. RESULTS: INL was technically successful in 54 of 55 procedures (98%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 90%-100%). A lymphatic leak was identified in 40 procedures, and LE was attempted in 36. LE was technically successful in 33 of the 36 procedures (92%; 95% CI, 78%-98%). Clinical success, defined as resolution of ascites with no need for peritoneovenous shunt placement or additional surgery, was achieved in 22 of 39 patients (56%; 95% CI, 40%-72%). Clinical success was achieved in 18 patients after 1 procedure, and patients who required repeat procedures were less likely to achieve clinical success (odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04-0.66; P = .012). Four grade 1 procedural adverse events were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: INL with or without LE is a safe minimally invasive tool that can help patients with chylous ascites after oncologic surgery who failed conservative treatment avoid more invasive interventions.

Lymphatic Chyle Duct Injury and Identification During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Preventing Postoperative Chylous Ascites.

We present a case of intraoperative detection of an iatrogenic chyle duct injury during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. The chyle duct injury was identified and managed by ligature, preventing postoperative chylous ascites.

Chylous Ascites Associated with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer That Improved with Appropriate Treatment: A Case Report.

Chylous ascites is a rare form of ascites with high triglyceride content arising from the thoracoabdominal lymph nodes in the peritoneal cavity due to various benign or malignant etiologies, including pancreatic cancer. During cancer chemotherapy, the accumulation of ascites can lead to the deterioration of the patient's general condition, making chemotherapy administration difficult, and resulting in a poor prognosis. We encountered a rare case of chylous ascites complicated by advanced pancreatic cancer. The patient presented with a discrepancy between the shrinkage of the pancreatic cancer and the accumulation of ascites. Therefore, we were able to promptly diagnose chylous ascites by performing biochemical tests. The patient was treated with octreotide, reportedly effective in treating chylous ascites, which rapidly improved the chylous ascites and general condition of the patient, allowing the patient to continue chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Therefore, physicians should consider the possibility of chylous ascites when clinically unexplained ascites are observed in patients with advanced cancer. The investigation and treatment of chylous ascites should be initiated as soon as possible.

An Elemental Diet Reduces Chylous Ascites of Patients Undergoing Pancreatoduodenectomy in the Setting of Early Enteral Feeding.

OBJECTIVES: The elemental diet (ED) is a formula to support nutritional status without increasing chylous burden. This study evaluates the efficacy of early ED feeding after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective phase II study of consecutive patients who underwent PD with early ED feeding was conducted. Patient backgrounds, surgical outcomes, and ED feeding tolerability were compared with a historical cohort of 74 PD patients with early enteral feeding of a low residue diet (LRD). RESULTS: The ED group comprised 104 patients. No patient in the ED group discontinued enteral feeding because of chylous ascites (CAs), whereas 17.6% of the LRD group experienced refractory CAs that disrupted further enteral feeding. The CAs rate was significantly decreased in the ED group compared with the LRD group (3.9% and 48.7%, respectively; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of major complications (ED: 17.3%, LRD: 18.9%; P = 0.844). Postoperative prognostic nutritional index was similar between the 2 groups ( P = 0.764). In multivariate analysis, enteral feeding formula, and sex were independent risk factors for CAs (LRD: P < 0.001, odds ratio, 22.87; female: P = 0.019, odds ratio, 2.78). CONCLUSIONS: An ED reduces postoperative CAs of patients undergoing PD in the setting of early enteral feeding.

[Laparoscopic Surgery for Delayed Chylous Ascites in Unresectable Gastric Cancer Patient-A Case Report].

Chylous ascites is a rare post operative complication after gastrectomy, which commonly occurs in early postoperative period. Here, we successfully treated a patient with unresectable gastric cancer who occurred chylous ascites 9 months after first surgery and underwent laparoscopic surgery for chylous ascites. Since prolonged chylous ascites may cause malnutrition, surgical treatment should be considered for refractory chylous ascites.

Nano Carbon Tracer in the Repairing of Congenital Abdominal Chylorus Leakage.

Congenital chylous ascites (CCA) is a rare cause of ascites in newborn infants. The main causes include congenital lymphatic obstruction due to atresia or stenosis of the major lacteals, mesenteric cysts and lymphangiomatosis. The mainstay of treatment for CCA is conservative management including medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)-based diet or total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and the addition of octreotide. Surgical exploration is reserved for those cases in whom conservative management has failed. The core problem of chylous abdominal surgery is to find the leakage; once the exact chylous leakage is found, the problem will be solved. The authors used a new carbon nanopartides material to accurately locate the location of chylous leakage. The operation is simple and fast, easy to use, and the effect is remarkable.

Successful outpatient conservative management of chyle leak after laparoscopic left hemicolectomy / Éxito de tratamiento conservador ambulatorio de paciente con ascitis quilosa tras hemicolectomía izquierda laparoscópica

Chyle leak is a pathological extravasation of chyle into the peritoneal cavity after a surgical injury. It is an uncom-mon complication in colorectal surgery. In most cases, conservative treatment is effective, although it often entails prolonged hospital stays.We present the case of a 60-year-old female with chyle leak after laparoscopic left hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision who underwent successful outpatient conservative management. We found no other cases of suc-cessful conservative outpatient treatment in the consulted literature. Adequate outpatient management may provide significant benefits by reducing hospital costs and improv-ing patient’s quality of life, while maintaining the possibility of starting adjuvant treatment if indicated (AU)

La ascitis quilosa es una acumulación patológica de quilo en la cavidad peritoneal tras una lesión quirúrgica. Es una complicación infrecuente de la cirugía colorrectal. En la mayoría de los casos, el tratamiento conservador suele ser eficaz, aunque conlleva estancias hospitalarias prolongadas.Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 60 años que de-sarrolló ascitis quilosa trasuna hemicolectomía izquierda laparoscópica, con escisión completa del mesocolon, que se resolvió con éxito mediante manejo conservador ambu-latorio. No se han encontrado casos exitosos de tratamien-to conservador ambulatorio en la bibliografía consultada. Un manejo ambulatorio como el propuesto puede aportar importantes beneficios en términos de reducción de costes hospitalarios y mejora de la calidad de vida del paciente, manteniendo la posibilidad de iniciar un tratamiento adyu-vante si está indicado (AU)

Post-interventional infectious complications in percutaneous transabdominal lymphatic interventions: an observational study.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the occurrence of infectious complications and inflammatory reactions after transabdominal lymphatic-interventions. 63 lymphatic-interventions were performed in 60 patients (male/female: 35/25; mean age 56 [9-85] years) [chylothorax n = 48, chylous ascites n = 7, combined chylothorax/chylous ascites n = 5]. Post-interventional clinical course and laboratory findings were analyzed in the whole cohort as well as subgroups without (group A; n = 35) and with peri-interventional antibiotics (group B; n = 25) (pneumonia n = 16, drainage-catheter inflammation n = 5, colitis n = 1, cystitis n = 1, transcolonic-access n = 2). No septic complications associated with the intervention occurred. Leucocytes increased significantly, peaking on post-interventional day-1 (8.6 ± 3.9 × 106 cells/mL vs. 9.8 ± 4.7 × 106 cells/mL; p = 0.009) and decreased thereafter (day-10: 7.3 ± 2.7 × 106 cells/mL, p = 0.005). CRP-values were pathological in 89.5% of patients already at baseline (40.1 ± 63.9 mg/L) and increased significant on day-3 (77.0 ± 78.8 mg/L, p < 0.001). Values decreased thereafter (day-15: 25.3 ± 34.4 mg/L, p = 0.04). In subgroup B, 13/25 patients had febrile episodes post-interventionally (pneumonia n = 11, cystitis n = 1, drainage-catheter inflammation n = 1). One patient developed biliary peritonitis despite continued antibiotics and underwent cholecystectomy. Baseline leucocytes and CRP-levels were higher in group B than A, but with comparable post-interventional profiles. Clinically relevant infectious complications associated with transabdominal lymphatic-interventions are rare irrespective of peri-interventional antibiotic use. Post-interventional elevation of leucocytes and CRP are observed with normalization over 10-15 days.

Unusual manifestation of gastric adenocarcinoma presenting with lymphedema, chylothorax, and chylous ascites.

A 62-year-old Thai man with a 2-year history of bilateral lymphedema and an unprovoked left axillary vein thrombosis presented with progressive leg, scrotal, and abdominal swelling, and shortness of breath. He denied any gastrointestinal symptoms. His lymphedema had initially been diagnosed as chronic filariasis due to positive blood tests for anti-filarial antibodies; however, treatment with anti-filarial drugs failed to improve his symptoms. Subsequently, he underwent surgical lymphaticovenular anastomosis with scrotal reduction, which proved to be of limited symptomatic relief. Later investigations revealed bilateral chylothorax and chylous ascites, with the presence of metastatic adenocarcinoma. Histopathological examination of the patient's skin and scrotum biopsy from his previous surgery revealed invasion of the lymphatics by neoplastic cells with signet ring cell formation. Gastroscopy uncovered a gastric mass, and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of stage IV gastric adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell. He later received palliative chemotherapy. For the management of chyle leakage, he was prescribed a very low-fat diet and supplemented with parenteral nutrition. Despite treatment, he developed cutaneous metastasis and was transitioned to best supportive care. The patient passed away 14 months after diagnosis.

[Chylous ascites in NSCLC: It is not always malignant]. / Chylöser Aszites bei NSCLC: Nicht alles ist maligne, was maligne aussieht.

The etiology of chylous ascites is multifactorial. Malignant diseases, cirrhosis, trauma, lymphomatic abnormalities and mycobacteriosis are the most common causes. In NSCLC, chylous ascites is observed with peritoneal metastasis or abdominal lymph node metastases.RET alterations occur in 1-2% of NSCLC patients and since recently they can be treated in a targeted fashion.Our case report shows that new targeted therapies revolutionize prognosis, but confront us with the challenge of new and partly unknown side effects.

Literature Review and 2 Cases of Isolated Chylothorax After Pediatric Living-Donor Liver Transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Chylothorax without chylous ascites after liver transplant is rare. We present 2 cases of isolated chylothorax after liver transplant and a literature review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled a literature review of chylothorax cases after abdominal surgery and analyzed the cases related to liver transplant. The demographic information, follow-up results, and treatment details of our 2 cases of chylothorax after living-donor pediatric livertransplant were discussed. RESULTS: An 8-month-old child and a 15-month-old child with cholestatic liver disease and urea cycle defect, respectively, underwent living-donor left lateral segment liver transplant. Patients who presented with chylothorax after discharge were treated conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated chylothorax is rare complication after abdominal surgery, which is mostly possible to treat with conservative methods. Interventional procedures and a surgical approach should only be performed in resistant cases when conservative treatment has failed.

Successful Treatment of Cirrhotic Chylous Ascites using Orlistat and Dietary Modifications: A Case Study and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Chylous ascites (chyloperitoneum), a condition arising from lymphatic leakage in the peritoneal cavity, is rare in liver cirrhosis patients, accounting for less than 1% of cases. Treatment typically involves therapeutic paracentesis, dietary modifications, a low-fat, high-protein diet, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation. Orlistat, a fat absorption inhibitor, has been reported to show potential efficacy in treating chylous ascites. CASE REPORT We detail the case of a 59-year-old male patient admitted for decompensated liver disease and worsening ascites. Diagnostic paracentesis identified chylous ascites, indicated by a 3.5 mmol/L triglyceride level. Despite administering therapeutic paracentesis, dietary modifications, MCT supplementation, Spironolactone, and Terlipressin for a presumed hepatorenal syndrome, the patient's ascites remained chylous for two weeks. On administering orlistat, a significant reduction in ascites volume and chylous content was observed, with triglyceride levels dropping to 0.7 mmol/L. CONCLUSIONS Our case illustrates the potential of orlistat in managing chylous ascites in liver cirrhosis patients, marking only the second such case reported in the existing literature. It encourages further exploration of orlistat's therapeutic potential in treating chylous ascites.

[A case of lymphatic vessel abnormality with chylous pneumonia].

Chylous pneumonia is a rare respiratory disease. The main clinical manifestation is coughing up chylous sputum with a variety of causes which can be clarified by lymphangiography. The lack of understanding of the disease, and infrequent lymphangiography have led to a high rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Here, we reported a case of bronchial lymphatic fistula caused by lymphatic abnormality that led to the diagnosis and treatment of chylous pneumonia, with the aim of improving clinicians' understanding of this disease.

Chylous Ascites After Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy: Is Early Surgical Intervention Necessary?

OBJECTIVES: Chylous ascites is a rare complication that may occur after living donor nephrectomy. The continuous loss of lymphatics, which carries a high risk of morbidity, may ensue in possible immunodeficiency and protein-calorie malnutrition. Here, we presented patients who developed chylous ascites after robotassisted living donor nephrectomy and reviewed the current literature of therapeutic strategies for chylous ascites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 424 laparoscopic living donor nephrectomies performed at a single transplant center; among these, we studied the records of 3 patients who developed chylous ascites following robot-assisted living donor nephrectomy. RESULTS: Among 438 living donor nephrectomies, 359 (81.9%) were laparoscopic and 77 (18.1%) were by robotic assistance. In the 3 cases highlighted in our study, patient 1 did not respond to conservative therapy, which consisted of diet optimization, total parenteral nutrition, and octreotide (somatostatin). Patient 1 subsequently underwent robotic-assisted laparoscopy with suture ligation and clipping of leaking lymphatic vessels, allowing the chylous ascites to subside. Patient 2 similarly did not respond to conservative treatment and developed ascites. Despite initial improvement after wound interrogation and drainage, patient 2 had continued symptoms, resulting in diagnostic laparoscopy and repair of leaky channels leading to the cisterna chyli. Patient 3 developed chylous ascites 4 weeks postoperatively and received ultrasonographic-guided paracentesis by interventional radiology, with results showing an aspirate consistent with chyle. The patient's diet was optimized, allowing for initial improvement and eventual return to normal diet. CONCLUSIONS: Our case series and literature review demonstrate the importance of early surgical intervention after failed conservative management for resolution of chylous ascites in patients after robotassisted donor laparoscopic nephrectomy.

Diagnosis of chylous abdominal effusions: what is the triglyceride threshold value?

Introduction: Chylous abdominal effusions are serious complications that can be triggered by various aetiologies. The biochemical diagnosis of chyle leakage in ascites or in peritoneal fluid capsules relies on the detection of chylomicrons. Assaying the fluid's concentration of triglycerides is still the first-line tool. Given that only one comparative study has sought to quantify the value of the triglyceride assay for diagnosing chylous ascites in humans, our objective was to provide practical triglyceride thresholds. Materials and methods: We conducted a 9-year, retrospective, single-centre study of adult patients and compared a triglyceride assay with lipoprotein gel electrophoresis for the analysis of 90 non-recurring abdominal effusions (ascites and abdominal collections) of which 65 were chylous. Results: A triglyceride threshold of 0.4 mmol/L was associated with a sensitivity > 95%, and a threshold of 2.4 mmol/L was associated with a specificity > 95%. According to Youden index, the best threshold was 0.65 mmol/L with a sensitivity of 88 (77-95)%, a specificity of 72 (51-88)%, and, in our series, a positive predictive value of 89 (79-95)% and a negative predictive value of 69 (48-86)%. Conclusions: In our series, cut-off of 0.4 mmol/L could be used for ruling-out diagnosis of chylous effusions, while cut-off of 2.4 mmol/L could be used for reasonably confirming diagnosis.

Lymphaticovenous anastomosis for treatment of refractory chylous ascites: A case report.

Chylous ascites, the leakage of lymphatic fluid into the abdominal cavity caused by lymphatic fluid stasis or lymphatic vessel damage, can be treated by lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA). We report rarely performed abdominal LVA to treat a case of refractory ascites possibly caused by ligation of the thoracic duct and pleurodesis in a man aged 60 years requiring weekly ascites drainage. Ligation was abandoned because the leakage site was not determined. The greater omentum (GO) was generally edematous and showed lymphatic effusion by gross appearance, and was considered suitable for LVA. We performed once LVA in the lymphatic vessels and veins of the GO using common microsurgical instrumentation and lateral anastomosis. Lymphatic vessels in the omentum were dilated to 2-3 mm, and LVA was simple. After LVA, GO edema improved. Postoperatively, the patient developed paralytic ileus, which improved within a few days, and the patient was discharged without any increase in ascites after starting to diet. One year post-surgery, there was no recurrence of ascites. LVA at the GO may be effective for the treatment of refractory chylous ascites because of its absorptive lymphatic draining capabilities and large transverse vessels.