Open AccessIdiopathic congenital chylothorax treated with octreotide
Author(s) -
Paulo Rego Sousa,
Henrique Leitão,
Maria Carmo Camacho,
J. Tirapicos Nunes
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr.06.2009.1950
Subject(s) - medicine , chylothorax , octreotide , respiratory distress , conservative treatment , surgery , somatostatin , lymphatic system , pathology
Idiopathic congenital chylothorax is defined as an abnormal accumulation of lymphatic fluid within the pleural space and is a relatively rare condition. It is a cause of progressive respiratory distress with nutritional and immunological consequences. Treatment of congenital chylothorax has been conservative management and cases unresponsive usually require surgery. We report a case of idiopathic congenital chylothorax treated with octreotide (a somatostatin analogue), avoiding surgery after failed conservative medical treatment. The patient promptly improved after initiation of endovenous octreotide treatment (10 µg/kg/h) with no observed side effects.