Lymphangiography as a Treatment Method for Chylous Ascites Following Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Excerpt

Most common causes of chyle leak include neoplastic, cirrhosis and infections of inflammatory aetiologies [1]. Chyle leaks are also a recognised but rarely reported complication following abdominal and retroperitoneal surgery. The preponderance of reports on chyle leak as a postoperative complication has included patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, distal splenorenal shunts, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair or liver transplantation. The overall incidence of chyle leak remains poorly defined. Assumpcao et al. reported an overall incidence of chyle leakage following pancreatic surgery of 1.3%. However, the incidence was highest in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (1.8%) [1]. This may be due to the close proximity of the cisterna chyli to the head of the pancreas [2]. …