Medscape abstract - Chylous ascites post transplant

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From Liver International (full article available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568463?src=mp)

Successful Management of Chylous Ascites After Living Donor Liver Transplantation With Somatostatin

Posted 01/10/2008

Hideki Ijichi; Yuji Soejima; Akinobu Taketomi; Tomoharu Yoshizumi; Hideaki Uchiyama; Noboru Harada; Yusuke Yonemura; Yoshihiko Maehara

Author Information

Abstract

Chylous ascites is a rare complication following liver transplantation. A variety of treatment options have been proposed for the management of chylous ascites; however, their effectiveness following a liver transplant is unknown. A 40-year-old woman who underwent living donor liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis developed chylous ascites 21 days after the transplant. A conventional treatment consisting of a low-fat diet with total parenteral nutrition failed to treat the complication for 104 days. However, the use of somatostatin in combination with total parenteral nutrition resulted in a rapid falloff in chyle output without any adverse effects. Somatostatin and total parenteral nutrition are an effective option for the treatment of chylous ascites after living donor liver transplantation.

From http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/chylous+ascites

chylous ascites - The presence of a milky fluid containing suspended fat in the peritoneal cavity. Also called chyloperitoneum.