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The impact of lymphangiograpy on chyle leakage treatment duration after pancreatic surgery

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Abstract

Purpose

Chyle leakage (CL) is a common complication in pancreatic surgery. Lymphangiography is a therapeutic option for CL in cases of conservative treatment failure. This study investigated the effect of lymphangiography on the healing time of CL.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 283 patients who underwent pancreatic resection between January 2016 and June 2022. The risk factors for CL and the treatment period were evaluated according to whether or not lymphangiography was performed.

Results

Of the 29 patients (10.2%) that had CL, lymphangiography was performed in 6. Malignant disease, the number of harvested lymph nodes, and drain fluid volume on postoperative day 2 were identified as independent risk factors for CL. Lymphangiography was associated with the cumulative healing rate of CL, and patients who underwent lymphangiography had a significantly shorter treatment period. No lymphangiography-related adverse events were observed.

Conclusion

Lymphangiography is a feasible and safe treatment option for CL. The CL treatment period after pancreatic surgery was significantly shorter in patients who underwent lymphangiography than in those who did not. Our results suggest that lymphangiography may contribute to early improvement of persistent CL.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English language editing.

Funding

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22 Showamachi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan

    Norihiro Ishii, Norifumi Harimoto, Takamomi Seki, Ryo Muranushi, Kei Hagiwara, Kouki Hoshino, Mariko Tsukagoshi, Akira Watanabe, Takamichi Igarashi, Kenichiro Araki & Ken Shirabe

  2. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan

    Kei Shibuya

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  1. Norihiro Ishii
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  2. Norifumi Harimoto
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Correspondence to Norifumi Harimoto.

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The protocol for this research project has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Gunma University.

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This retrospective observational study used an opt-out approach.

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Ishii, N., Harimoto, N., Seki, T. et al. The impact of lymphangiograpy on chyle leakage treatment duration after pancreatic surgery. Surg Today 54, 651–657 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-023-02777-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-023-02777-8

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