CT-Guided Intranodal Lymphangiography for Postoperative Chylous Ascites

Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2017 Aug;40(8):1281-1284. doi: 10.1007/s00270-017-1644-y. Epub 2017 Apr 5.

Abstract

The utility and minimal invasiveness of ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography have already been reported by several researchers. Although ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography is known to be not technically difficult in general, a patient's edematous groin due to hypoalbuminemia resulting from chylous ascites made it too challenging to detect and prick the lymph nodes precisely. This report describes a 71-year-old female with refractory chylous ascites due to an operation for an extrahepatic bile duct cancer, who was successfully treated by computed tomography (CT)-guided intranodal lymphangiography. After switching from ultrasound- to CT-guided lymphangiography, the procedure was successfully performed, and the refractory chylous ascites was treated.

Keywords: Chylothorax; Chylous ascites; Intranodal lymphangiography; Lipiodol; Pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic / surgery*
  • Chylous Ascites / diagnostic imaging*
  • Chylous Ascites / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymph Nodes / diagnostic imaging*
  • Lymphography / methods*
  • Pancreaticoduodenectomy
  • Postoperative Complications / diagnostic imaging*
  • Postoperative Complications / therapy*
  • Radiography, Interventional / methods*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*