Case Report
Combined Chylothorax and Chylous Ascites Complicating Liver
Transplantation: A Report of a Case and Review of the Literature
Tommy Ivanics ,
1
Semeret Munie,
1
Hassan Nasser ,
1
Shravan Leonard-Murali,
1
Atsushi Yoshida,
2
Shunji Nagai,
2
Kelly Collins,
2
Marwan Abouljoud,
2
and Michael Rizzari
2
1
Department of General Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
2
Department of Transplantation Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Tommy Ivanics; tivanic1@hfs.org
Received 29 March 2019; Accepted 4 July 2019; Published 21 July 2019
Academic Editor: David Conti
Copyright © 2019 Tommy Ivanics et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Chyle leaks may occur as a result of surgical intervention. Chyloperitoneum, or chylous ascites afer liver transplantation, is rare
and the development of chylothorax afer abdominal surgery is even more rare. With increasingly aggressive surgical resections,
particularly in the retroperitoneum, the incidence of chyle leaks is expected to increase in the future. Here we present a unique
case of a combined chylothorax and chyloperitoneum following liver transplantation successfully managed conservatively. Risk
factors for chylous ascites include para-aortic manipulation, extensive retroperitoneal dissection, use of a Ligasure device, and early
enteral feeding as well as early enteral feeding. Te clinical presentation is typically insidious and may include painless abdominal
distension. Diagnosis can be made by noting characteristic milky white drainage which on laboratory examination has a total fuid
triglyceride level >110 mg/dl, an ascites/serum triglyceride ratio of >1 and a leukocyte count in fuid >1000/uL with a lymphocyte
predominance. Chyle leaks may lead to signifcant morbidity and mortality. Numerous management options exist, with conservative
nonoperative measurements leading to the most consistent and successful outcomes. Tis includes a step-up approach beginning
with dietary modifcations to a low-fat or medium chain triglyceride diet followed by nil per os with addition of total parenteral
nutrition and somatostatin analogues such as octreotide. Rarely do patients require more invasive treatment. Early recognition and
appropriate management are imperative to mitigate this complication.
1. Introduction
Chyle leaks, manifesting as chylothorax or chyloperitoneum/
chylous ascites, can be broadly categorized into non-trau-
matic and traumatic etiologies. Te latter can occur as a
result of surgery. Chylous ascites is a rare complication
afer liver transplantation with reported incidences of 0.6-
7% [1–7]. Chylothorax afer abdominal surgery and liver
transplantation in particular is even more rare [8, 9]. Tere
appears to be a correlation between incidence of chyle leaks
and the extent of surgical resection [10]. Te incidence of this
complication is likely to rise in the future with increasingly
aggressive surgical resections, especially those involving the
retroperitoneum, inferior vena cava reconstructions, lymph
node dissections or in the setting of post neoadjuvant therapy
[11]. While the majority of chyle leaks can successfully
be managed conservatively, they can dramatically prolong
length of hospital stay [10] and result in signifcant morbidity
and mortality. Taking into account all these factors highlights
the importance of early recognition and appropriate manage-
ment of this rare complication.
We herein present a unique case of combined chylothorax
and chyloperitoneum following liver transplantation success-
fully managed conservatively.
2. Case Description
Te patient is a 56-year-old female with end-stage liver
disease (true MELD score 12, exception MELD score 22)
secondary to chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 likely contracted
secondary to blood transfusion afer a motor vehicle accident
40 years prior who presented for a deceased donor Liver
transplantation. She had a 35-pack year smoking history.
Preoperative morbidities included grade 2 esophageal varices,
Hindawi
Case Reports in Transplantation
Volume 2019, Article ID 9089317, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9089317