Management of Chyle Leak after Head and Neck Surgery: Review of Current Treatment Strategies

Table 1

Diagnosing a chyle leak.

Clinical	Drain output biochemical assay
(i) Sudden increase in drain output, especially immediately following enteral feeding; (ii) Supraclavicular erythema, lymphedema, or palpable fluid collection; (iii) Creamy or milky drain output	(i) Triglyceride > 100 mg/dL; (ii) Triglyceride > serum triglyceride level; (iii) Presence of chylomicrons