A case of liver cirrhosis with chylous ascites and multiple cystic dilatation of the abdominal lymphatic system

Abstract

A 51-year-old male suffering from abdominal distension and diagnosed by laparoscopic and histological examination as a liver cirrhosis patient, had a chylous ascites with a negative Gordon test. The content of chylomicron in ascites decreased by restriction of dietary fat, although the ascites retention was resistant to salt restriction, diuretics and intravenous re-infusion of ascites. Lymphangiography revealed dysplasia of the retroperitoneal lymphatic system and dilatation of the thoracic duct. Main autopsy findings were liver cirrhosis (post-necrotic type) without malignancy and marked cystic dilatations of the lymphatic duct. The lymph congestion in the intestine was more remarkable in the subserosal space and the leakage of the chyle into the abdominal cavity was also proved by histological examination.