Two patients developed chylous complications following abdominal aortic ane
urysm repair. One patient had chylous ascitis and was successfully treated
by a peritoneo-caval shunt. The other patient developed a lymph cyst, which
gradually resorbed after puncture. Chylous complications following aortic
surgery are rare. Patients in bad a general condition should be treated by
initial paracentesis and total parenteral nutrition, supplemented by medium
-chain triglyceride and low-fat diet. If no improvement is observed on this
regimen, the next step should be implementation of a peritoneo-venous shun
t, whereas direct ligation of the leak should be reserved for those who are
not responding to this treatment.