Lympho-SPECT/CT as a Key Tool in the Management of a Patient with Chylous Ascites

Biomedicines. 2023 Jan 19;11(2):282. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11020282.

Abstract

Chylous ascites is a rare form of ascites usually associated with cirrhosis, abdominal malignancies, surgeries or infections. We presented a case of chylous ascites after robotic laparoscopic prostatectomy (PLDN-RALP), in which the correct diagnosis was achieved by SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy. A 72-year-old male developed chylous ascites after surgery and underwent lymphoscintigraphy with radiolabeled albumin nanocolloids for the supplementary study of the lymph flow and to detect a possible site of leakage. The scintigraphic imaging demonstrated the abdominal effusion and lymph stasis in the left iliac region. The combination of planar imaging with SPECT/CT can resolve the assessment of chylous disorders.

Keywords: SPECT/CT; chylous ascites; lymph stasis; lymphoscintigraphy; robotic laparoscopic prostatectomy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.