Treatment of Delayed Chylothorax Complicating Oesophagectomy

Delayed Chylothorax during Treatment of Follicular Lymphoma with a Malignant Pleural Effusion

Chylothorax occurs following dysfunction or disruption of the lymphatic drainage along the thoracic duct. Malignant and traumatic causes account for the majority of these occurrences, with lymphoma accounting for 11-37% of chylothoraces. The clinical course of chylothorax may include dehydration, malnutrition, immunosuppression, electrolyte disturbances, infection, and ultimately death. Management of chylothorax is patient-specific and is based on etiology and surgeon experience. Initially, most chyle leaks are managed with nonoperative strategies, such as gut rest, hyperalimentation, and pleural drainage, and, at times, medium-chained fatty acid diet or octreotide, with hopes to decrease chyle production (Zabeck et al. (2011)). High-output chyle leaks following iatrogenic injury or trauma are commonly managed with thoracic duct ligation. Lymphangiography with or without thoracic duct embolization has become increasingly popular and efficacious with the possible benefit of less morbidity (Cope et al. (2002)). We report a case of a 61-year-old male with delayed chylothorax while having an indwelling pleural catheter for malignant pleural effusion during treatment of follicular lymphoma. Percutaneous thoracic duct embolization was attempted but was unsuccessful. Chemotherapy, fluid management, and nutritional support allowed this to resolve over the course of ninety days from diagnosis. We describe the patient's clinical course and highlight nonoperative management of delayed chylothorax in the setting of follicular lymphoma treatment.

Late-onset chylothorax during chemotherapy after lobectomy for lung cancer: A case report and review of the literature

RATIONALE

Chylothorax is usually diagnosed within a few days after lobectomy. Late-onset chylothorax following trauma or thoracic surgery is rare but potentially lethal, lacking reliable preventive methods.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 54-year-old male patient complained of dyspnea during adjuvant chemotherapy on the 35th postoperative day after right middle lobectomy and systemic lymph node dissection (SLND) for lung cancer. His computed tomography indicated massive pleural effusion filling in the right chest cavity.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was primarily diagnosed as late-onset chylothorax, without definite evidence to exclude spontaneous chylous leakage.

INTERVENTIONS

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic thoracic duct ligation (TDL) was performed for him, as conservative treatment using octreotide with fat-free diet turned out to be ineffective.

OUTCOMES

His pleural effusion was gradually diminished after reoperation, and the patient was discharged 9 days after TDL.

LESSONS

Postoperative late-onset or spontaneous chylothorax should be kept in mind after pulmonary resection and SLND, and the exclusion of chylous leakage could be considered as a precondition of chest tube removal.

Late-onset chylothorax after pulmonary resection for lung cancer

Chylothorax is a relatively rare complication of thoracic surgery. Most instances of chylothorax after pulmonary resection are diagnosed within 3 days after surgery. Hence, late-onset chylothorax is rare. A 68-year-old woman underwent right lower lobectomy and mediastinal dissection for lung cancer. After discharge, the patient developed a dry cough, and chest radiography more than 3 months after surgery revealed a right-sided pleural effusion occupying more than half of the right hemithorax, which we diagnosed as late-onset chylothorax. Treatment comprised chest drainage, subcutaneous octreotide, and pleurodesis by injecting a preparation of OK-432. Follow-up chest radiography confirmed no reaccumulation of fluid. Three months later no recurrence of pleural effusion was detected. We report a rare case of postoperative late-onset chylothorax that proved difficult to treat.

Transabdominal ligation of the thoracic duct as treatment of choice for postoperative chylothorax after esophagectomy

Postoperative chylothorax after injury of the thoracic duct during esophagectomy is a rare but severe complication which may lead to serious problems such as loss of fat and proteins, and immunodeficiency. Without treatment mortality can rise to over 50%. From 1988 to 2005, we treated 10 patients with postoperative chylothorax after 409 resections of the esophagus (2.4%). Of these 10 patients nine underwent transthoracic esophagectomy with gastric pull-up to enable an intrathoracic (n = 7) or cervical (n = 2) anastomosis and one patient received a transhiatal esophagectomy with gastric pull-up and cervical anastomosis. The average amount of postoperative chylus was 2205 mL (200-4500 mL) per day. After a median postoperative interval of 10 days, relaparotomy and transhiatal double ligation of the thoracic duct was performed in nine out of 10 patients. One patient could be managed conservatively. The average amount of chylus was reduced to 151 mL per day (90.5%). Seven patients had no complications, and three suffered from postoperative pneumonia. Two of the patients with pneumonia recovered, and one died. Discharge from hospital, after ligation of the thoracic duct, was possible after a median time of 18 days (11-52). Ligation of the thoracic duct via relaparotomy appeared to be a simple and safe method to treat postoperative chylothorax.