Brief Review of Chylothorax Diagnosis and Management: Making the Case for Substance Over Appearance

Chylothorax is the presence of a chylous effusion in the pleural space. Diagnosing chylothorax requires a high clinical suspicion, awareness of the different appearances of a chylothorax and the performance of tests on the pleural fluid, additional to those typically required to differentiate an exudate from a transudate based on Light's criteria. Chylothorax is a more common diagnosis in the trauma and post-surgical patients, but it is still important for practitioners of other disciplines to be aware of it. In this article we provide a concise summary of chylothorax diagnosis and management.