Open AccessPediatric chylothorax—lymphatic imaging enables targeted surgical treatment
Author(s) -
Simon Kargl,
Beate Maier-Hiebl
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
indian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery/indian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.114
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 0973-7723
pISSN - 0970-9134
DOI - 10.1007/s12055-018-00779-7
Subject(s) - chylothorax , medicine , thoracic duct , lymphatic system , cardiothoracic surgery , radiology , surgery , chyle , clipping (morphology) , pathology , complication , linguistics , philosophy
Chylothorax-the collection of lymphatic fluid in the pleural space-is a rare finding in otherwise healthy adolescents. Initially, clinical signs and symptoms are often non-specific and a wide range of underlying causes necessitates extensive diagnostic workup. Treatment options include dietary measures, medical treatment, and various surgical procedures. We report about a 12-year-old boy with accidental diagnosis of chylothorax. Lymphatic imaging led to visualization of a leakage of an accessory left-sided thoracic duct and thoracoscopic clipping was successfully performed. Lymphatic imaging procedures depict underlying causes of chylothorax allowing targeted therapeutic management.