Abstract
Abstract
Background
The treatment of duplicated thoracic ducts (TDs) injury after esophagectomy generally requires a bilateral transthoracic approach. We present the cases of two patients with postoperative chylothorax who underwent transhiatal bilateral TD ligation for duplicated TDs.
Case presentation
Two patients diagnosed with chylothorax after esophagectomy performed for thoracic esophageal cancer underwent transhiatal TD ligation. Although supradiaphragmatic mass ligation was performed on the fat tissue of the right side of the aorta containing the TD, chyle leakage persisted. To tackle this, the fat tissue of the left side of the aorta was ligated, after which the chyle leakage stopped.
Conclusion
Compared to the conventional transthoracic approach, the transhiatal approach enables the ligation of both left- and right-sided TD in a single surgical operation, without the need to change the patient’s posture. This approach may be appropriate for the treatment of chylothorax after esophagectomy, considering the possibility of duplicated TDs.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering,General Business, Management and Accounting,Materials Science (miscellaneous),Business and International Management