Abstract
Posttraumatic chylothorax after radical surgery for esophageal cancer is a rare but a particularly difficult complication to manage after esophagectomy. Therefore, when appropriate management cannot be done, dying is not rare either. Generally, chylothorax is caused by traumatic thoracic injury, it is thought that ligation of the thoracic duct is the most effective treatment. However, the re-operation should not be selected easily, and it is necessary to perform appropriate treatment in each patient. As chylothorax treatments, conservative therapy, chemical pleurodesis, lipiodol lymphangiography, radiotherapy, artificial tube shunting, interventional embolization, and surgical ligation via an open or video technique are reported. Because of a fact that chylothorax following resection of esophageal carcinoma has a high mortality, prompt decision-making of the treatment under an appropriate nutrition management is entirely important. Moreover, it is important to perform appropriate treatment in appropriate the order in consideration of the site and amount of lymphatic leakage, variations in thoracic duct anatomy, the amount of drainage chyle and patientʼs condition.
