Case Presentation
A 62-year-old obese male patient underwent anterior cervical disc fusion (ACDF) via a left sided neck approach. There were no issues intraoperatively and no chyle leak was noted. Four months later he presented to the clinic with lower left neck pain and swelling inferior to the incision. Exam and CT imaging showed a 4x4 cm left lower cervical abscess. He underwent transcervical incision and drainage. He required a second return trip to the operating room with ligation of the thoracic duct in the chest. He returned to a regular diet and had no further issues more than 5 years following the index operation.