Table 4.
Characteristics of patients with postoperative chylothorax who underwent medical or surgical treatment
| Reoperated | No reoperation | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 11 | n = 23 | ||
| Days from esophagectomy to diagnosis | <0.001 | ||
| 2 days | 7 (77.8%) | 2 (22.2%) | |
| 3 days | 3 (42.9%) | 4 (57.1%) | |
| 4 days | 1 (20%) | 4 (80%) | |
| ≥5 days | 0 | 13 (100%) | |
| Bilateral chylothorax | 2 (18.2%) | 6 (26.1%) | 0.694 |
| Duration of chest tube drainage (days) | 0.445 | ||
| Median | 13 | 12 | |
| Range | 8–24 | 6–29 | |
| Chest tube output after conservative therapy (ml/Kg) | |||
| Day 1† | 0.091 | ||
| Median | 23.5 | 18.6 | |
| Range | 10.5–40.2 | 3.5–32.7 | |
| Day 2† | 0.055 | ||
| Median | 22.1 | 15.2 | |
| Range | 10.7–36.2 | 2.3–30.2 | |
| Day 3† | <0.001 | ||
| Median | 23.8 | 9.6 | |
| Range | 13.8–35.5 | 2.1–20.9 |
†
Day 1, 2 and 3 are defined as 1, 2, and 3 days after the initiation of conservative therapy.