PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 9043440

Chylothorax.

B A Merrigan·D C Winter·G C O'Sullivan
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chylothorax is a condition that is debilitating to the point of threatening life. There is controversy over its management, in particular the relative merits of conservative measures and the timing of surgical intervention. METHOD: The literature is reviewed from the basic sciences of chyle composition and flow, to diagnostic approaches, the complications of chyle loss and appropriate management strategies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Prompt diagnosis is essential to institute an effective therapeutic regimen. Surgery achieves fast, safe and effective reversal of this dire situation. Minimally invasive thoracoscopic techniques are gaining wide recognition. Early intervention, which should be aggressive and complete to avoid the immune and nutritional consequences of extended chyle depletion, is recommended.

Explore related subjects

ChylothoraxHumansThoracic DuctJournal ArticleReview

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

B A Merrigan, D C Winter, G C O'Sullivan. 1997. Chylothorax.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9043440/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2001

Somatostatin: a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chylothorax.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment of chylothorax in pediatric intensive care today includes conservative therapy with fat-free nutrition, total parenteral nutrition and, if this is not successful, operative treatment (pleurodesis, ligation of the duct, pleuroperitoneal shunt). PATIENTS: We describe four patients who were not in a suitable condition for operative treatment and who were treated with continuous infusion of somatostatin. RESULTS: In three patients, chylothorax ceased with the continuous somatostatin infusion without side effects. One patient was treated without success. CONCLUSIONS: Somatostatin is a therapeutic option for treatment of chylothorax and could reduce surgical intervention and hospitalization time, as well as allow earlier enteral feeding.

Chylothorax↗
PubMed2001

Magnetic resonance imaging of the fetus in congenital intrathoracic disorders: preliminary observations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide high-quality images of the intrathoracic organs. We studied the ability of MRI to define spatial relationships of the fetal lungs and measured lung volume in two cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), one of severe oligohydramnios secondary to bilateral cystic renal dysplasia and one case of prenatal chylothorax. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed pelvic MRI using single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) pulse sequence in four pregnant women referred because of abnormal prenatal ultrasound (US) findings associated with pulmonary hypoplasia. RESULTS: The exact anatomic position of the contents of the hernia in CDH, including the position of the liver, was better defined with MRI. Pleural effusions were identified as well as the renal abnormality in the case of oligohydramnios. Lung volume was measured and the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia was quantified in every case. Lung-to-thorax ratio was calculated in the case of fetal chylothorax. CONCLUSION: Ongoing work suggests that MRI can provide additional detailed quantitative information in prenatal disorders associated with fetal lung compression and resulting hypoplasia. Correlation of fetal lung volume with postnatal management and outcome may affect prognosis in these cases.

Chylothorax↗
PubMed2001

Chylothorax complicating Gorham's disease.

Gorham's disease is a rare disorder characterized by a proliferation of thin-walled lymphatic vessels (lymphangiectasia) resulting in an osteolysis. A chylothorax is present in about one-fifth of the patients and carries a poor prognosis. In this circumstance, surgery including thoracic duct ligation, pleurodesis, and excision of involved tissue is probably the treatment of choice. It is facilitated by a precise radiological assessment using a computed tomographic scanning coupled with a lymphography. We report such a case.

Chylothorax↗