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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

The Isolation of Flowing Mesenteric Lymph in Mice to Quantify In Vivo Kinetics of Dietary Lipid Absorption and Chylomicron Secretion
Published on: November 30, 2022
[Clinical analysis of 123 cases of chylous effusion]
Kai-feng Xu1, Xiao-wen Hu, Xin-lun Tian
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China. kaifeng.xu@gmail.com
Objective:
To analyze the clinical characteristics of chylous effusion and boost its diagnostic and therapeutic level.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was conducted for 123 cases of chylous effusion at our hospital between January 1990 and December 2009.
Results:
The main clinical manifestations of chylous effusion included dyspnea (55.3%), edema (26.8%), abdominal distention (22.8%) and loss of weight (17.1%). Hypoalbuminemia was common (45.5%) and it was even more so in patients with idiopathic lymphopathies or of unknown causes (95.2%). The positive rates of identifying chylous effusion by Sudan III test, high triglyceride levels (> 1.25 mmol/L), lymphangiography or lymphangioscintigraphy were 89.1%, 80.6%, 70.6% and 89.5% respectively. Its common etiologies included injury (14.6%), malignancy (9.0%), infections (7.3%), lymphatic disorders or idiopathic lymphopathies (40%), drug-associated (2.4%) or associated with underlying disorders (16.3%). Efficacy was achieved in 63.6% of the patients and 21.8% died.
Conclusions:
Chylous effusion is a special type of serous effusion with multiple causes. Its clinical manifestations are often nonspecific. But malnutrition is common. Its causes are identified after a systematic evaluation. Treatment modalities include dietary modification, management of underlying causes and surgical approaches.
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