Chyloperitoneum: A Rare Complication of Peritoneal Dialysis

Abstract

An eight-year old girl with extensive burns and aminoglycoside-induced acute renal failure was treated with peritoneal dialysis. She developed chyloperitoneum after medical insertion of a Tenckhoff catheter. Conservative dietary treatment with medium-chain triglycerides, supplemented by parenteral hyperalimentation and temporary cessation of the peritoneal dialysis allowed the chylous fistula to heal, without the need for surgical intervention. Leakage of milky chyle into the peritoneal cavity (chyloperitoneum or chylous ascites) is a rare clinical entity. Generally it is due to trauma or obstruction of the lymphatic system. It has been observed in adults with intra-abdominal malignancies and/or inflammations and in children with congenital malformations of the abdominal lymphatics (I). Chyloperitoneum also has been seen after abdominal trauma, including surgery (1–5); chyloperitoneum has been mentioned before as a complication of peritoneal dialysis but no details have been provided (1,6). This paper will report the occurrence and treatment of chyloperitoneum in an eight-year-old child undergoing peritoneal dialysis for acute renal failure.