Management of postoperative chylous ascites after surgery for ovarian cancer: a single-institution experience

We described our experience in the diagnosis and management of chylous ascites. Five hundred and forty-six patients were submitted to surgery for ovarian cancer and 298 patients received pelvic and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Chylous ascites occurred in 8 patients with an incidence of 1.4% in the overall population and a 2.68% among patients receiving lymphadenectomy. All patients received total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with Olimel N4E 2000  mL (Baxter®) and somatostatin therapy with 0.2  mL per 3 times/day for a median of 9 days (range 7–11). Median hospital stay was 15 days (range 7–16). All patients were successfully managed conservatively and none required surgical correction. Conservative management of chylous ascites with TPN, somatostatin and paracentisis is feasible a nd effective. These data should be confirmed by prospective multicentric studies.
Source: Updates in Surgery - Category: Surgery Source Type: research