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Somatostatin: a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chylothorax
V Buettiker1, M I Hug, R Burger
1Department of Neonatology and Intensive Care, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. vera.buettiker@kispi.unizh.ch
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.
