title: Chylous ascites treated by traditional Chinese herbal medicine: a case report and discussion.
abstract: Chylous ascites, which can lead to peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, metabolic disorder, and even death from pyemia, is a rare complication of abdominal surgery. Currently, first-line treatment involves conservative management, which includes oral diet and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). However, the efficacy of these treatments cannot be guaranteed. For example, single diet control can result in consecutive drainage for up to 1 month, and salvage surgery is required for some invalid cases. Here, we report 6 cases of chylous ascites after abdominal surgery. In addition to diet control, we delivered traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) twice daily orally. The drainage volume of the chylous fistula showed an obvious decrease 1 day after the TCHM administration and all 6 patients completely recovered within 4 to 8 days (median: 5.5 days). Although relevant data are limited, our cases would suggest that TCHM could play an important role in the management of chylous ascites. However, randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm its efficacy in a larger population.
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Lijuan
authors: L
authors: Xiu
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Yan
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Zhifeng
authors: Z
authors: Qin
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Xuan
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors: Xiaowei
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Zheng Hospital, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China. Electronic address: czzyk73@163.com.
authors: Pinkang
authors: P
authors: Wei
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002915:Chylous Ascites / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
keywords: Chylous ascites; Postoperative complications; Traditional Chinese herbal medicine