Idiopathic congenital chylothorax treated with octreotide

Idiopathic congenital chylothorax is defined as an abnormal accumulation of lymphatic fluid within the pleural space and is a relatively rare condition. It is a cause of progressive respiratory distress with nutritional and immunological consequences. Treatment of congenital chylothorax has been conservative management and cases unresponsive usually require surgery. We report a case of idiopathic congenital chylothorax treated with octreotide (a somatostatin analogue), avoiding surgery after failed conservative medical treatment. The patient promptly improved after initiation of endovenous octreotide treatment (10 µg/kg/h) with no observed side effects.