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Bilateral chylothorax following neck dissection: a case report
Tina Runge1, Yves Borbély, Daniel Candinas
1Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern 3000, Switzerland. tinarunge@hotmail.com.
Background:
Chylothorax is an extremely rare but potentially life-threatening complication after radical neck dissection. We report the case of a bilateral chylothorax after total thyroidectomy and cervico-central and cervico-lateral lymphadenectomy for thyroid carcinoma.
Case Presentation:
A 40-year-old European woman underwent total thyroidectomy and neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Postoperatively she developed dyspnoea and pleural effusion. A chylothorax was found and the initial conservative therapy was not successful. She had to be operated on again and the thoracic duct was legated.
Conclusion:
The case presentation reports a very rare complication after total thyroidectomy and neck dissection, but it has to be kept in mind to prevent dangerous complications.
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