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Respiratory medicine
Recurrent bilateral idiopathic chylothorax: a therapeutic challenge
  1. Boon Hau Ng,
  2. Andrea Yu-Lin Ban,
  3. Nik Nuratiqah Nik Abeed and
  4. Mohamed Faisal Abdul Hamid
  1. Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Boon Hau Ng; ngboonhaurespi{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Chylothorax is a rare condition caused by pleural effusion resulting from thoracic duct injury. Recurrent chylothorax is often resistant to conservative treatment and presents a clinical conundrum in its management. Here, we report a compelling case of recurrent chylothorax that persisted despite the administration of total parenteral nutrition, octreotide and thoracic duct embolisation. The patient eventually required thoracic duct ligation and talc pleurodesis, which resulted in the resolution of the effusion. Our case is an illustrative example of the effective multidisciplinary management of recurrent bilateral idiopathic chylothorax.

  • Pneumonia (respiratory medicine)
  • Pleural infection
  • Pneumothorax

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-258049

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms and critical revision for important intellectual content: BHN, NNNA and ABY-L. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: BHN, NNNA, MFAH and ABY-L.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.