Effect of Ligation of the Thoracic Duct During Oesophagectomy on the Absorption of D-xylose.

OBJECTIVE To assess if prophylactic thoracic duct ligation during oesophagectomy influences the absorptive function of oesophageal cancer patients. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an, from August 2014 to December 2015. METHODOLOGY Based on the management of the thoracic duct during oesophagectomy, 60 patients were randomized into two groups. D-xylose absorption test was used to evaluate the absorptive function. The two-independent-samples t-test was employed for statistical analysis with statistical significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS The serum D-xylose concentration of ligation-group was significantly lower than that of no-ligation group on the first day after operation, (t=2.82, p=0.0066). However, there was no significant differences between them even before operation (t=1.34, p=0.1849). CONCLUSION Ligation of the thoracic duct during oesophagectomy immediately affected the absorption of D-xylose, which may lead to malabsorption in the long run.