Infantile chylous ascites: a case report

Abstract

Chylous ascites (CA) is the accumulation of chyle in the abdominal cavity, and it is said to be congenital if it occurs in infants younger than 3 months.¹ CA was first described by Morton in 1694 in a 2 year old boy with Tuberculosis.^1-2 It is a rare clinical entity seen in 1 in 20,000 hospital admissions,^1-3 however, incidence is said to be on the increase because of more aggressive thoracic  and retroperitoneal surgeries, as well as prolonged survival of cancer patients². Congenital Chylous Ascites (CCA) is even rarer.1 We report a case of chylous ascites in an infant (first of its kind in our centre) who was successfully managed with initial laparatomy and subsequent conservative management.

Keywords: Chyle, ascites, thoracic duct injury, rupture thoracic duct, spontaneous resorption