LAUSR

Chylous ascites, caused by surgical trauma to the major lymphatics, can occur after colorectal surgery, with incidence ranging from 1.0 to 6.6% [1, 2]. In our previous paper, we reported that chylous ascites occurred in 138 (4.7%) of 2,917 primary colorectal cancer patients who had surgical resection, and that shorter operative time and the number of harvested lymph nodes were independent risk factors for the development of chylous ascites [1]. All included patients with chylous ascites were medically managed successfully, and no patients needed surgical treatment [1]. However, in some cases refractory to conservative management, surgical intervention may be necessary [2]. Few papers have reported laparoscopic surgical repair for chylous ascites [3, 4]. We describe a patient with intractable chylous ascites refractory to medical treatment, who was successfully managed with surgical intervention. Our primary objective was to report techniques for the identification and ligation of leaking lymphatics using a laparoscopic approach.