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Chylothorax after neck dissection for thyroid carcinomas: report of three cases

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Abstract

Chylothorax is a rare complication of neck dissection. We report three cases of chylothorax after neck dissections for thyroid carcinoma and attribute this relatively high incidence to the assumption that most patients are asymptomatic. Thus, conventional chest X-ray or ultrasonography in the early postoperative period may be warranted to exclude asymptomatic chylothorax, especially if the thoracic duct is injured and ligated during the operation. We suggest that for chylothorax induced by ligation of the thoracic duct, which may be transient and resolve quickly, short-term thoracic drainage is enough.

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All authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Tian

  2. Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Yu Li & Ping Wang

  3. Department of Surgical Oncology, Taizhou Central Hospital, Taizhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Xin-Bin Lin

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  1. Wei Tian
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Correspondence to Zhi-Yu Li.

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Tian, W., Li, ZY., Wang, P. et al. Chylothorax after neck dissection for thyroid carcinomas: report of three cases. Surg Today 42, 89–92 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-011-0015-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-011-0015-6

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