chyle

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(kīl) pronunciation
n.
A milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fat extracted from chyme by the lacteals during digestion and passed to the bloodstream through the thoracic duct.

[French, from Late Latin chȳlus, from Greek khūlos, juice.]

chylaceous chy·la'ceous (kī-lā'shəs) or chy'lous ('ləs) adj.

The milky fluid which travels in the lymphatic vessels draining the small intestine. It contains most of the products of digestion of the fat content of a meal, which are absorbed into the microscopic lacteals in the villi that project from the intestinal lining. Chyle is a particular type of lymph — the general term for fluid drained from body tissues; it flows into progressively larger channels to join lymph from other parts of the body in the thoracic duct in the chest, and thence reaches the bloodstream.

— Stuart Judge

See alimentary system; lymphatic system.


the white lymph found in the lymph vessels of the intestine (lacteals) during the digestion of fats. It contains globules with a high fat content. See also chylomicron.

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The milky fluid taken up by the lacteals from the intestine during digestion, consisting of lymph and triglyceride fat (chylomicrons) in a stable emulsion, and conveyed by the thoracic duct to empty into the venous system.

Chyle (from the Greek word chylos, meaning juice[1]) is a milky bodily fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats, or free fatty acids (FFAs). It is formed in the small intestine during digestion of fatty foods, and taken up by lymph vessels specifically known as lacteals. The relative low pressure of the lacteals allows large fatty acid molecules to diffuse into them, whereas the higher pressure in veins allows only smaller products of digestion, like amino acids and sugars, to diffuse into the blood directly.[2][3]

Contents

Pathology

A chyle fistula is a leakage of lymphatic fluid from the lymphatic vessels, typically accumulating in the thoracic or abdominal cavities,[4] possibly leading to a chylothorax or chylous ascites, respectively.

Treatment of a chyle fistula relies on ligation of the duct. This is because direct repair is impractical owing to the extreme friability of the thoracic duct.

An alternative treatment is the subcutaneous use of the drug octreotide (a synthetic analogue of somatostatin). This can lead to complete resolution of production of chyle, and avoids the need for surgery.[5]

See also

References

See also: chylomicron

  1. ^ Mosby’s Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Dictionary, Fourth Edition, Mosby-Year Book Inc., 1994, p. 335
  2. ^ Magendie, Par F. Elementary Treatise on Human Physiology originally published in French 1838, translated into English and published 1855 by Harper Brothers, New York
  3. ^ Lipid Transport and Digestion
  4. ^ Tessier, Deron J , MD, Chyle fistula eMedicine; Jan 10, 2008; accessed Feb 2008
  5. ^ Mincher L, Evans J, Jenner MW, Varney VA. The successful treatment of chylous effusions in malignant disease with octreotide. Clinical Oncology. 2005 Apr;17(2):118-21. [1]

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