# When lymph defies benign surgery: postoperative chylous fistula

## TL;DR

This paper reports two rare cases of chylous fistula after non-cancer abdominal surgeries and shows that conservative treatment was effective.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in documenting rare postoperative chylous fistulas in non-oncologic abdominal surgery and their successful conservative management.

## Key findings

- Chylous fistula occurred in two patients after non-oncologic abdominal surgery.
- Conservative management was effective in resolving the fistulas in both cases.

## Abstract

Postoperative chylous fistula in abdominal surgery for benign pathologies is an extremely rare complication. This condition usually develops after extensive resections, chest or neck surgery, and is characterized by lymphatic leakage outside the abdominal cavity. In the following report, we describe two cases of patients undergoing non-oncologic abdominal surgery who developed a chylous fistula during the postoperative period and who responded adequately to conservative management.