Chylothorax. Clinical experience in nine cases

Clinical experience in nine cases of chylothorax is presented. In five cases the cause was iatrogenic, in two cases idiopathic and in two cases the chylothorax was secondary to an advanced malignant disease. Iatrogenic chylothorax occurred after mediastinoscopy, thoracic sympathectomy, pneumonectomy, resection of an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta and closure of a patent ductus arteriosus. Only one of these patients needed an operative closure of the thoracic duct. In one of the two cases of a neoplastic origin the chylothorax was caused by a malignant mesothelioma and thoracic duct ligation was needed while in the other case it was due to an inoperable pancreatic carcinoma and was treated by thoracocentesis. In one of the idiopathic cases supradiaphragmatic ligation of the thoracic duct was necessary. It is concluded that in most iatrogenic or traumatic cases chylothorax can be cured by conservative therapy (diet, thoracocentesis); in other cases the operative therapy should be adjusted to the primary disease, and the ligation of the thoracic duct should be performed at a level where it is able to prevent the chylous leak without unnecessarily interfering with the collateral lymphatic circulation. Abundant and prolonged chylous leakage should be always treated operatively to prevent disastrous nutritional and immunological deficiencies.