Table 1.
Aetiology of chylous ascites[3]
| Congenital (most common in the paediatric population) |
| Congenital idiopathic |
| Intestinal lymphangiectasia (mega lymphatics) |
| Primary lymphatic hypoplasia |
| Chyle cysts |
| Lymphangiomatosis |
| Acquired |
| Neoplastic (most common in adult population) |
| Malignant |
| Lymphoma |
| Kaposi’s sarcoma |
| Lymphangiomyomatosis |
| Carcinoid tumours |
| Other cancers (breast, pancreatic, colon, renal, testicular, ovarian, prostate) |
| Benign |
| Postoperative |
| Resection of the abdominal aorta |
| Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy |
| Pancreaticoduodenectomy |
| Vagotomy |
| Radical nephrectomy |
| Warren shunt |
| Nissen fundoplication |
| Placement of peritoneal dialysis catheter |
| IVC resection |
| Inflammatory |
| Radiation therapy |
| Tuberculosis |
| Pancreatitis |
| Filariasis/ascariasis |
| Peritoneal dialysis |
| Sarcoidosis |
| Constrictive pericarditis |
| Retroperitoneal fibrosis |
| Coeliac spurae |
| Whipple’s disease |
| Retractile mesenteritis |
| Traumatic |
| Blunt (including Battered Child Syndrome) |
| Shear force to the root of the mesentery |
| Penetrating |
| Obstructive |
| Adhesions |
| Volvulus |
| Intussusception |
| Aortic aneurysm |
| Haemodynamic |
| Cirrhosis |
| Right heart failure |
| Dilated cardiomyopathy |
| Jugular, innominate, left subclavian, or portal vein thrombosis |
| Nephrotic syndrome |