ABSTRACT
Following disruption or obstruction of the abdominal lymphatic channels lymphatic fluid
may accumulate within the peritoneal or thoracic compartments, termed chylous ascites
and chylo-thorax respectively. Chylous ascites is the extravasation of milky or creamy
peritoneal fluid that is rich in triglycerides as a result of the presence of lymphatic fluid in
the abdominal cavity. Asellio in 1622 described the lymphatics in a dog and observed a
white milky fluid having transected a mesenteric lymphatic. In 1647 Pecquet described
the thoracic duct and its connection to the bowel lymphatics. The first reports of
chylothorax and chyloperitoneum are attributed to Bartholin in 1651 and Morton in 1694
respectively (1). Press reported an incidence of one case of chyloperitoneum per 20,000
admissions over a 20 years period (2). The incidence is however increasing due to
increasing retroperitoneal and thoracic surgery and increasing survival of patients with
malignant disease. During the later years of Press’ study there was an incidence of one per
12,000.
