Traumatic injury of the thoracic duct.
Injuries to the thoracic duct are infrequent but may become life-threatening when chylous leakage persists. This report describes 6 patients with such injuries in whom the leakage resolved spontaneously in one, was corrected using microsurgical lymphatic repair or lymphatic-venous anastomosis in two, successfully treated either by ligation of the thoracic duct or insertion of a peritoneovenous shunt in two, and was eventually controlled after bilateral pleurodesis and thoracic duct ligation by insertion of a peritoneo-venous shunt in one. Conventional lymphography is superior to lymphoscintigraphy and is usually required to document disruption of the thoracic duct.
Guzman
A E
AE
Department of Phlebology, Italian Hospital, Mendoza, Argentina.
Rossi
L
L
Witte
C L
CL
Smyth
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed