title: Chylous leakage: a rare complication after axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer and surgical management.
abstract: Chylous leakage is an extremely rare complication of surgery for breast cancer. We experienced a case of chylous leakage after axillary lymph node dissection. A 38-year-old woman with invasive ductal carcinoma in the left breast underwent a modified radical mastectomy after four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The postoperative serosanguinous drainage fluid became "milky" on the fourth postoperative day. After trying conservative management, we re-explored the axilla and ligated the lymphatic trunk. Although the success of many cases supports conservative management, timely surgical intervention represents an alternative in cases where leakage persists or where the output is high.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Jin A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yu Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Gi Young
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Do Sang
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong Man
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Won