[Bilateral chylothorax--case report and literature review]

A bilateral chylothorax developed in a woman patient during recurrence of a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, originally treated by laminectomy and telecobalt irradiation. Almost simultaneously there was a thrombosis of the brachial vein in the right arm. On the basis of this particular case, attention is drawn to the difficulty in pathogenetic classification. The possible causes, especially of the bilateral nature of the chylothorax, are discussed while referring to the relevant literature.