Lymphatic Leakage after Implantation of the Central Venous Access Port

Abstract

Purpose : There have been no reports on lymphatic leakage from surgical wound after implantation of the central venous access port (CV port) system. The purpose of this study was to predict the onset of the lymphatic leakage as well as to grasp the actual situation. Methods : We enrolled a total of 160 patients who had the CV port system implanted in our department from April 2016 to August 2020. There were 80 patients who were implanted in the anterior thoracic region (anterior thoracic group) and another 80, implanted in the upper arm (upper arm group). They were retrospectively studied as to background factors, nutrition status, and complications. Results : Lymphatic leakage after CV port implantation was observed in no case from the anterior thoracic group, while in six (7.5%) cases from the upper arm group. Dividing the upper arm group patients into 6 patients who developed lymphatic leakage and the remaining 74 who did not, we comparatively analyzed clinical factors. As a result, a significantly higher average age and lower BMI and PNI levels were noted in patients with lymphatic leakage. Lymphatic leakage conservatively disappeared in all cases, but there was a case in which more than 2 months were needed to disappear. Conclusion : We must keep in mind that there is a possibility of developing postoperative lymphatic leakage in implantation of the CV port to the upper arm. Especially, patients who are elderly and in poor nutritional status would require more careful operations for the implantation.