Chylous cyst-venous shunt for the management of central conducting lymphatic anomaly

Abstract

We present the case of a 45-year-old man who had presented with ubiquitous chylous reflux that manifested as a bilateral inguinal chylous cutaneous fistula and a voluminous right cervical chylous cyst. He had difficulty breathing owing to compression of the airway. Anastomosis of the chylous cyst wall with the external jugular vein was performed using a valvular vein segment to prevent blood reflux. Postoperatively, anticoagulant therapy was initiated. We found this derivative surgical procedure to be an effective and minimally invasive technique for complex lymphatic anomalies.

Keywords

• Chylothorax
• Chylous ascites
• Chylous reflux
• Lymphatic malformations
• Thoracic duct