Chylous Ascites: A Rare Adverse Effect of Methimazole Treatment for Grave's Disease-A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Intestinal malrotation causing chylous ascites in an adolescent: a case report

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Chylous ascites due to intestinal malrotation is a rare occurrence, especially in adolescent and adult patients.

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Chylous ascites due to intestinal malrotation typically occurs early in life with painless distension of the abdomen.

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Our case is a male adolescent who presented with abdominal pain and a history of congenital hernia repair.

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Ladd’s procedure was successfully performed in our case with no complications.

Introduction

Intestinal malrotation is a rare etiology of chylous ascites in adolescents. Chylous ascites is caused by lymphatic system disarrangement, which can result in an anomalous build-up of a lymphatic fluid rich in lipid, namely chyle in the peritoneal cavity.

Presentation of case

We present a case of a 16-year-old Saudi Arabian male who came to the emergency department with right upper quadrant pain associated with difficulty in passing stool for one day and a history of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) repair at the age of 4 months. Free fluid in the abdomen was noticed in the bedside ultrasound. Abdominopelvic computed tomography revealed dilated small bowel loops and a whirl sign of the mesentery, which indicated intestinal torsion. The patient was treated using Ladd’s procedure, and a large volume of chylous fluid was removed from the abdomen. Postoperatively, the abdominal drain revealed no chyle, and the patient was followed-up as an outpatient at which point, he reported no abdominal pain.

Discussion

Intestinal malrotation is more commonly reported in children and associated with congenital chylous ascites. Chylous ascites by itself is a rare occurrence, and very few cases attribute it to intestinal malrotation in adults. Surgical management with Ladd’s procedure is a well-documented surgery in pediatric patients, and yet it was successfully performed in our adolescent patient.

Conclusion

Surgical management of chylous ascites secondary to intestinal malrotation in an adolescent, which is considered novel in this age group, including peritoneal lavage of chyle, resulted in favorable outcomes.

First Case of Chylous Ascites after Laparoscopic Myomectomy: A Case Report with a Literature Review

Introduction: Chylous ascites is a rare form of ascites characterized by milk-like peritoneal fluid, rich in triglycerides. Clinical signs and symptoms include abdominal distention, pain, nausea, and vomiting. In gynecology, the most common cause for its occurrence is lymph dissection leading to impairment of major lymphatic vessels. There are only a few reported cases of chylous ascites arising after operations for benign diseases. Case report: We report a case of a 46-year-old female patient, who underwent laparoscopy for a myomatous node with chylous ascites occurring on post-surgery Day 2. The ascites was conservatively managed. The exact cause of the chyloperitonitis could not be determined. Conclusion: Although extremely rarely, chylous ascites may also occur in operative interventions for benign diseases in gynecological surgery.

Chylous Ascites: A Review of Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment

Chylous ascites (CA) is a rare form of ascites that results from the leakage of lipid-rich lymph into the peritoneal cavity. This usually occurs due to trauma and rupture of the lymphatics or increased peritoneal lymphatic pressure secondary to obstruction. The underlying etiologies for CA have been classified as traumatic, congenital, infectious, neoplastic, postoperative, cirrhotic or cardiogenic. Since malignancy and cirrhosis account for about two-thirds of all the cases of CA in Western countries, in this article we have attempted to reclassify CA based on portal and non-portal etiologies. The diagnosis of CA is based on the distinct characteristic of the ascitic fluid which includes a milky appearance and a triglyceride level of >200 mg/dL. The management consists of identifying and treating the underlying disease process, dietary modification, and diuretics. Some studies have also supported the use of agents such as orlistat, somatostatin, octreotide and etilefrine. Paracentesis and surgical interventions in the form of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (commonly known as TIPS), peritoneal shunt, angiography with embolization of a leaking vessel, and laparotomy remain as treatment options for cases refractory to medical management.