Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chyle buildup under skin after thoracic duct surgery
By Farnsworth, R & Birchard, S·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Subcutaneous accumulation of chyle after thoracic duct ligation in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3.5-year-old female German Shepherd developed swelling in her hind leg due to a buildup of chyle (a fluid rich in fat) after surgery to treat a condition called chylothorax, which is fluid in the chest. Despite the surgery resolving the fluid in her chest, the swelling in her leg persisted even after additional treatments, including a surgical procedure to transplant tissue into the affected area. Unfortunately, the usual pathways for fluid drainage did not form in this dog, leading to continued issues. This case highlights a rare complication that can occur after this type of surgery in dogs.
People also search for: dog leg swelling after surgery · German Shepherd chylothorax treatment · complications of thoracic duct ligation in dogs
Abstract
A 3.5-year-old female German Shepherd Dog developed subcutaneous accumulation of chyle in a hind limb after ligation of the thoracic duct for treatment of chylothorax. Lymphangiography revealed severe lymphangiectasia in the abdomen and left inguinal region. Although the pleural effusion resolved, the subcutaneous accumulation of chyle continued even after medical and surgical treatment, which included transplantation of the greater omentum into the subcutaneous tissues of the affected limb. Alternate lymphaticovenous pathways usually develop in dogs after thoracic duct ligation. These apparently did not develop in this dog, resulting in retrograde flow of chylous fluid into the hind limb. To the authors' knowledge, this is a previously unrecognized complication of thoracic duct ligation for treatment of chylothorax in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8707676/