Background
No data on incidence, management, or natural history of chyle leaks following pancreatic resection have been published. We
sought to identify possible risk factors associated with chyle leaks following pancreatic resection, as well as determine
the natural history of this rare complication.
Methods
Between 1993 and 2008, 3,532 patients underwent pancreatic resection at a single institution. Data on demographics, operative
details, primary tumor status, and chyle leak were collected. To identify risk factors associated with chyle leak, a matched
3:1 paired analysis was performed.
Results
Of 3,532 patients undergoing pancreatic resection, 47 (1.3%) developed a chyle leak (
n = 34, contained chyle leak versus
n = 13, diffuse chylous ascites). Chyle leak was identified at median 5 days following surgery. Median drain triglyceride levels
were 592 ng/dl. After matching on tumor size, disease etiology, and resection type, the number of lymph nodes harvested and
history of concomitant vascular resection predicted higher risk of chyle leak (both
P < 0.05). Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was required in more patients with chylous ascites (92.3%) than those with chyle
leaks (44.1%) (
P = 0.003). The median time to resolution was shorter for contained chyle leaks (13 days) versus chylous ascites (36 days)
(
P < 0.001). Patients with chylous ascites tended to have shorter overall survival (3-year, 18.8%) versus patients with no chyle
leak (3-year, 46.9%) (
P = 0.12). In contrast, patients with a contained chyle leak had a similar survival as patients with no chyle leak (3-year,
53.4% versus 46.9%, respectively) (
P = 0.32).
Conclusion
Chyle leak was a rare (1.3%) complication following pancreatic resection that was associated with number of lymph nodes harvested
and concomitant vascular resection. In general, chyle leaks were successfully managed with TPN with no adverse impact on outcome.
Patients with chylous ascites, however, had a more protracted clinical course and tended to have a worse long-term survival.
Presented at the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, 49th Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, May 18th, 2008
Support: Dr. Pawlik is supported by Grant Number 1KL2RR025006-01 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a
component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The contents of this publication
are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR or NIH.
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