Incidence and management of chyle leakage after esophagectomy

Postoperative chyle leakage is a rare but well-recognized complication after esophageal surgery. The aim of this study was to identify its incidence and potentially predisposing factors and to assess the consequences and management.

A consecutive series of 536 patients who underwent esophagectomy for malignant disease of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction was reviewed.

There were 20 patients (3.7%) with chyle leakage. After transthoracic esophagectomy the risk for the development of chyle leakage was higher than after transhiatal resection (p = 0.006). Chyle leakage was associated with more positive nodes (p = 0.041). Patients with chyle leakage had significantly more pulmonary complications (p < 0.001) and longer intensive care unit (p = 0.015) and hospital stays (p = 0.001). No patient with chyle leakage died. Conservative management, consisting of no enteral feeding and total parenteral nutrition, was instituted in all patients, but was abandoned in 4 patients (20%) because of persistence of high chyle output through the chest tube. In contrast to patients who were successfully treated with conservative measures, patients who eventually needed a reoperation had a drain output of more than 2 L on the day conservative therapy was started and 1 and 2 days later.

Chyle leakage is seen more often in patients who undergo transthoracic esophagectomy and in patients who have more positive nodes. Patients with chyle leakage have more pulmonary complications. Conservative therapy is often successful, but operative therapy should be seriously considered in patients with a persistently high daily output of more than 2 L after 2 days of optimal conservative therapy.