Bilateral chylothorax after a blunt chest trauma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51481/amc.v56i3.847Keywords:
chylothorax, pleural cavity, somatostatin, parenteral nutritionAbstract
The presence of chyle in the chest cavity is known as chylothorax. It is usually secondary to the disruption of the thoracic duct or one of its branches or due to an alteration in the flow of lymph. Some of the causes of chylothorax are: trauma, tumors, miscellaneous or idiopathic. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The management of this condition can be conservative or surgical.
We report the case of a sixteen-year-old patient, who was involved in a motorcycle accident and suffered blunt thoracic trauma, thus developing bilateral chylothorax. He was treated conservatively through bilateral chest tube insertion, parenteral nutrition and administration of somatostatin. There was a gradual drop in chyle production, the left chest tube was removed after eleven days and the right one after sixteen. Chest x-rays did not show any residual pleural fluid and the patient was discharged.
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- 2014-07-01 (2)
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