Study design:

Clinical case report.

Purpose:

To report the rare case with post-operative chylous retroperitoneum after corrective surgery for adult spinal deformity.

Methods:

We present a case of a 73-year-old woman with Parkinson’s disease. She sustained a severe split fracture subluxation of the L3 vertebra with AO Spine Thoracolumbar classification type CN2M2, resulting in severe kyphoscoliosis in global alignment. She underwent a two-stage 720-degree anteroposterior-combined corrective surgery with anterior vertebral column resection of L3 and posterior fusion from T4 to the pelvis. On post-operative day 1, milky fluid in the drainage tube was noted, which was diagnosed as post-operative chylous retroperitoneum.

Results:

Oral intake was discontinued immediately and peripheral parenteral nutrition was started. A low-fat, high-protein diet was started on post-operative day 4, and drainage was removed on day 6. A low-fat diet was continued until 3 months post-operatively, with dietary counselling by a nutritionist. The chylous retroperitoneum resolved without recurrence at the final follow-up evaluation at 3 years.

Conclusion:

Surgeons should recognize this rare complication, which might be induced by direct damage to the lymphatic flow during an operative maneuver anterior to the lumbar vertebral body and indirect damage due to shearing force during correction of a subluxated vertebra, especially in cases with a severe deformity.