Management of a decade-old recurrent chylothorax with breast fistulization: a case report.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chylothoraces result from traumatic or non-traumatic insult to the thoracic duct, allowing for lymph to accumulate in the chest. Patients present with increasing dyspnea and fatigue, and the diagnosis is made via chest X-ray, computed tomography (CT), and comparative analysis of the pleural fluid and serum. Management largely entails diet modification and drainage with or without adjunct medications, reserving pleurodesis, percutaneous duct embolization, or thoracic duct ligation for recalcitrant cases.

Case description

A 72-year-old female presented with a 10-year history of recurrent chylothorax. This was precipitated by a rib biopsy in 2013 for concerns of fibrous dysplasia, which was complicated by pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement and recurrent chyl

SUBMITTER: Chopko TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10789898 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature