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Magnetic resonance imaging for chylothorax after esophagectomy

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Abstract

A 75-year-old man underwent esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer. After the operation, the output fluid from the right chest drain increased, and laboratory analysis confirmed the fluid to be chyle. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was then carried out to identify the leakage point and the size of the injury to the thoracic duct. The MRI clearly showed the leak point to be in the lower thoracic region. It thus appears that this non-invasive new approach using MRI is effective and suitable for diagnosis and establishment of an appropriate treatment plan for chylothorax after thoracic surgery.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Akita University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, 010-8543, Akita, Japan

    Satoru Motoyama MD, Manabu Okuyama MD, Reijiro Saito MD & Jun-ichi Ogawa MD

  2. Department of Surgery, Iwate Prefectural Isawa Hospital, Mizusawa, Iwate

    Michihiko Kitamura MD

  3. Department of Radiology, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita, Japan

    Koichi Ishiyama MD

Authors
  1. Satoru Motoyama MD
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  2. Manabu Okuyama MD
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  3. Reijiro Saito MD
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  4. Michihiko Kitamura MD
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  5. Koichi Ishiyama MD
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  6. Jun-ichi Ogawa MD
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Motoyama, S., Okuyama, M., Saito, R. et al. Magnetic resonance imaging for chylothorax after esophagectomy. Jpn J Thorac Caridovasc Surg 53, 434–436 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-005-0079-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-005-0079-6

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