Editorial: postoperative chylothorax—a cause for concern

Excerpt

In this issue of Acta Neurochirurgica, Bae et al. [2] describe a case with bilateral chylothorax after right-sided anterior cervical spine surgery. The diagnosis of chylothorax was made by detecting chyle leakage from the surgical neck incision as well as chest x-rays and fluid analysis from pleurocentesis. This complication has not been reported previously in conjunction with a right-sided surgical approach in the neck, but there are several case reports of chylothorax after left-sided neck incisions in association with thyroid surgery or radical neck dissection for cancer [4]. It is also a rare but well-known complication after thoracic surgery such as pneumonectomy, lobectomy, esophageal surgery and even after heart surgery [1, 3]. Chylous leakage after surgical trauma may accumulate in the pleural space (chylothorax) or around the heart (chylopericardium). Normally, chylous fluid in the pleura is milky white, but it may be serous or serosanguineous depending on the fasting state of the patient. …