TRAUMATIC INJURY OF THE THORACIC DUCT

AE Guzman, L Rossi, CL Witte, S Smyth

Abstract


Injuries to the thoracic duct are infrequentbut may become life-threatening when chylousleakage persists. This report describes 6patients with such injuries in whom theleakage resolved spontaneously in one, wascorrected using microsurgical lymphatic repairor lymphatic-venous anastomosis in two,successfully treated either by ligation of thethoracic duct or insertion ofa peritoneovenousshunt in two, and was eventuallycontrolled after bilateral pleurodesis andthoracic duct ligation by insertion ofaperitoneo-venous shunt in one. Conventionallymphography is superior to lymphoscintigraphyand is usually required to documentdisruption of the thoracic duct.

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