Bilateral chylothorax following left neck dissection and literature review

Abstract Chylothorax without chyle cervical leakage after neck dissection it is extremely rare. We report a case of bilateral chylothorax without chyle cervical leakage after left neck dissection, wherein partial left upper jaw resection and left radical neck dissection were performed in a 46-year-old woman who was diagnosed with left upper gingival cancer. The thoracic duct was ligated and cut during surgery and, although no obvious leakage of lymph was observed, dyspnea and cough reflex during deep inhalation were observed from the third postoperative day. Approximately 600 mL of yellowish-white pleural effusion was aspirated during bilateral thoracentesis, and chylothorax was diagnosed based on clinical findings and biochemical analysis results. The patient was put on a low-fat diet on the fourth postoperative day. Pleural effusion disappeared on imaging examination 16 days after thoracentesis.