Chyle leak: a rare complication post-hemithyroidectomy. case report and review of literature

Thyroidectomy is one of the common neck surgeries. Well recognized complications include postoperative bleeding, hypocalcaemia and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Chyle leak post-thyroidectomy is extremely rare. Most of the reported cases have had a complete central compartment neck dissection.

This is a case report of a patient who suffered from chyle leak after a left hemithyroidectomy without a complete central compartment neck dissection. The patient was managed conservatively with low fat diet and observation. A protocol for approaching thyroid patients with chyle leak is proposed based on a comprehensive literature review.

Chyle leak post-thyroidectomy for a benign disease is a very rare complication. Nevertheless, head and neck surgeons should consider it in the differential diagnosis of neck swelling post-thyroidectomy.