Chylous fistula: management of a rare complication following right anterior cervical spine approach

European spine journal

article

Federica Novegno¹  Pierluigi Granaroli¹  Luigi Ciccoritti²  Pierpaolo Lunardi¹  Mario Francesco Fraioli¹ 

[1] Department of Neurosurgery, Tor Vergata University Medical School, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”;Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery

关键词: Cervical spine;    Chyle leak;    Lymphatic ducts;    Discectomy;    Surgical complication;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s00586-019-05929-y

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Chylorrhea resulting from injury of the lymphatic system during neck dissection is a well-known complication. It is an uncommon occurrence in spinal surgery, and only one case after right anterior cervical spine surgery has been described so far. Despite its rarity, chylous leakage deserves a particular attention since it may become a serious and occasionally fatal complication if not detected early and managed appropriately. We report the case of a 42-year-old man who underwent a standard anterior cervical discectomy and fusion according to Cloward approach for a C6–C7 disk herniation. The patient developed a delayed prevertebral chyle collection on postoperative day 5, presenting with mild breathing and swallowing difficulties. He was managed with conservative care, including bed rest, low-fat diet and drainage pouch positioning, which led to the complete resolution of the fluid collection. Knowledge of the normal anatomy of the lymphatic system and of its variations is essential when planning an anterior spinal procedure, and represents the first measure to be adopted in order to avoid such complication. The prompt identification of a postoperative chylous fistula and the applicability of an individually based management’s protocol may help in the majority of the cases to reduce the potential morbidity, without significant long-term effects.

【 授权许可】

Unknown