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TRAUMATIC CHYLOTHORAX: A CASE REPORT
Author(s) -
Grant PeterW.,
Brown StuartW.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1991.tb00155.x
Subject(s) - medicine , chyle , thoracic duct , chylothorax , surgery , parenteral nutrition , ligation , conservative management , conservative treatment , general surgery , complication , lymphatic system , immunology
A case of traumatic chylothorax following a motor vehicle accident is presented. This is a rare injury following thoracic trauma and is associated with a high mortality and morbidity. Mechanisms of injury to the thoracic duct are described. A management strategy is suggested, which initially entails a trial of conservative therapy of adequate drainage, total parenteral nutrition (tpn) and total gut rest. If significant chyle losses persist after 2 weeks, surgery is indicated, as immunological factors may complicate recovery. The recommended surgical technique is transthoracic duct ligation directly or at the hiatus.