[Left-sided Chylothorax and Tumor of the Right Anterior Mediastinum]

An 82-year-old male patient presented with a left-sided spontaneous chylothorax. A computed tomographic scan of the chest revealed a cystic tumor in the right upper anterior mediastinum and nodules in the left mediastinum that we interpreted as enlarged lymph nodes. On suspicion of lymphoma and for therapy of chylothorax, we performed a left-sided thoracotomy. The putative lymph nodes proved to be chylomas. We interpret the right-sided mediastinal tumor as cystic lymphangioma causing the left-sided chylothorax at the junction of thoracic duct and venous system on the right side.