Ascitis quilosa tras colecistectomía: presentación de un caso / Chylous ascites after cholecystectomy: case report and literatura review

INTRODUCCIÓN: La ascitis quilosa es la presencia de líquido linfático en la cavidad peritoneal. Como consecuencia de una cirugía abdominal es muy infrecuente, encontrando 5 casos previos en la literatura revisada tras colecistectomía. OBJETIVO: Presentar un caso clínico de ascitis quilosa poscolecistectomía, su manejo y una revisión de la literatura. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Varón de 77 años, quiloperitoneo 21 días después de realización de colecistectomía programada por colecistitis aguda. Resultados: Se realiza drenaje percutáneo con débito de 5 L en 24 horas, se inicia octreótido subcutáneo y nutrición parenteral total. Al tercer día disminuye el débito por el drenaje, por lo que se inicia dieta rica en triglicéridos de cadena media con buena evolución posterior. De los 5 casos previos tras colecistectomía, el 60% se resolvió con tratamiento conservador, un paciente precisó reintervención y otro colocación de un shunt portosistémico intrahepático trasnyugular (TIPSS). CONCLUSIÓN: La ascitis quilosa es una complicación postquirúrgica infrecuente, encontrando solo 5 casos previos tras colecistectomía. Inicialmente el manejo debe ser conservador, en caso de persistencia se deben valorar otras medidas.

INTRODUCTION: Chylous ascites is defined as the presence of lymph fluid in the peritoneal cavity. It is a rare complication after abdominal surgery; only 5 previously reported cases were found after cholecystectomy. Aim: Present a case report and a literature review. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Case report of a 77 year old male who underwent an elective cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis. Chyloperitoneum showed up 21 days after surgery. RESULTS: We performed a percutaneous drainage and 5 L of fluid were removed in 24 hours. We started treatment with subcutaneous Octreotide and total parenteral nutrition. After 3 days drain output decreased and we started a medium-chain triglycerides diet with good progress. The outcome of 60% of the 5 previous case reports of chyloperitoneum after cholecystitis, were successful with conservative management, surgical intervention was needed in one patient and a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) was placed in another patient. CONCLUSION: Chylous ascites is a rare complication after surgery, there are only 5 previously case reports after cholecystectomy. Conservative management has to be the first option and in case of persistence another therapy has to be considered.

Tratamento cirúrgico da ascite quilosa / Surgical treatment of chylous ascites

A ascite quilosa é uma complicação rara após procedimentos cirúrgicos e trauma abdominal, apresentando elevada morbidade e difícil manejo. Nos casos refratários ao tratamento clínico habitual, o tratamento cirúrgico se impõe, apesar da baixa taxa de sucesso. Dois casos são apresentados: o primeiro paciente foi vítima de trauma abdominal contuso e o segundo foi submetido a hernioplastia hiatal a Nissen videolaparoscópica, ambos evoluindo com ascite quilosa que necessitou de tratamento cirúrgico através da ligadura do ducto torácico, junto aos pilares diafragmáticos. Os pacientes evoluíram com melhora clínica e ausência de ascite após 24 meses de seguimento.

Chylous ascites is a rare complication after abdominal procedures and blunt abdominal trauma, associated with high morbidity and difficult management. When clinical treatment fails, surgical intervention is necessary, despite the limited success rate. Two cases are reported: the first patient had a blunt abdominal trauma and the second patient underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication; both developed chylous ascites and required surgical treatment with suture repair of the thoracic duct, close to the diaphragm. There was clinical improvement and ascites was absent at a 24-month follow-up.

Successful management of chylous ascites using omental patch

To assess possible factors that may play a role in the etiology of chylous ascites formation, to determine the management of each type according to its causation, and to compare between the results of conservative and operative management. This is a prospective study conducted from 1990 to 2004 in the surgical department of Erbil, Iraq. A group of 46 patients with chylous ascites were subdivided into five subgroups according to the etiological factors. The initial assessment included: age, sex, history of trauma and previous surgery, time between the trauma, if it was present, and the appearance of chylous ascites, and aspiration of ascetic fluid for chemical and bacteriological analysis. Further assessment included the use of ultrasonography, computerized axial tomography, and Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]. There were 12 female and 34 male patients. Their ages ranged form one year to 63 years [mean age 37 years]. There was abdominal distention resulting from the accumulation of chyle in the peritoneal cavity in all five subgroups of patients. A definitive diagnosis was made by paracentesis and laparotomy. Thirty-eight patients [82.6%] underwent explorative laparotomy. The surgical success rate for trauma patients was about 93.7%, while it was very poor for malignant cases. The surgical technique in this study with the best results was overswing with omental patch. The results indicate that patients with chylous ascites caused by trauma to the abdomen who undergo surgery may have a success rate up to about 93.7% using omental patches, especially if preoperative resuscitation is done. The outcome of patients with malignant chylous ascites, however, was very poor. Conservative treatment was not satisfactory in any of these cases

A respeito de um caso de quilotórax bilateral e quiloascite espontâneos: aspectos clínicos e cirúrgicos / About a case of espontaneous bilateral chylothorax and chyloascitis: clinical and surgical aspects

Efusão quilosa pleural ou quilotórax significa acúmulo quiloso no espaço pleural, geralmente como ruptura secundária dos ductos linfáticos torácicos, que pode ser promovida por vários estímulos, desde trauma, doenças malignas até causas idiopáticas. É definido como uma efusão de linfa na cavidade pleural, podendo ter origem no tórax ou na cavidade abdominal, ou em ambos. É de aspecto leitoso, inodoro, branco, de pH alcalino com gravidade específica acima de 1012, bacteriostático, não irritativo à pleura. É opalescente, formado quando triglicérides de cadeia longa da dieta são transformados em quilomícrons de baixa densidade lipoprotéica secretados no intestino. O quilo é transportado através do ducto torácico e drenado na veia subclávia esquerda. O diagnóstico é baseado em análise clínica da efusão pleural contendo quilomícrons e níveis de triglicérides maior que 110 mg/dL como indicativo praticamente certo de efusão pleural quilosa. A conduta depende da causa e das circunstâncias individuais. Um relato de quilotórax bilateral e quiloascite espontâneos é apresentado com ótima evolução através de tratamento conservador com a utilização de dieta enteral oligomérica, rica em aminoácidos, com glutamina e mínima oferta de triglicérides de cadeia média e octeotride

Chylous pleural effusion or chylothorax means chyle accumulation in the pleural space generally as a secondary disruption of thoracic lymphatics, that can be promoted by various stimulants, since trauma, malignancies, to idiopathic causes. Is defined as an effusion of limphin pleural cavity. Chyle may have its origin in the thorax or in the abdomen, or both. Is a milky, white, alkaline pH with a specific gravity above 1012, bacteriostatic and nonirritating to thepleural space, opalescent fluid formed when long-chain triglycerides in the diet are transformed into chylomicrons and very-low-density lipoproteins and secreted into intestinal lacteals. The chyle is transported through the thoracic duct and drained into the left subclavian vein. Diagnosis is based on a chemical analysis of the pleural effusion presenting chylomicrons, pleural triglyceride with levels greater than 110 mg/dL being nearly always indicative of a chylous pleural effusion. Management depends on the underlying cause and the individual circumstances. A case report of spontaneous chylothorax and chyloascitis is presented successfullytreated by conservative means, using oligomeric enteral feeding, rich in amino acids with minimum quantity of medium-chain-triglycerides, glutamine, and octeotride