Document Detail


Surgical management of chylothorax.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19670117     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Chylothorax remains an uncommon but challenging clinical problem. Thoracic duct ligation is the treatment of choice for postsurgical patients. However, the optimal treatment for traumatic patients is unclear. We wanted to examine the outcomes of patients with high output or recurrent chylothorax who were treated by surgical means. METHODS: From December 1992 to April 2008, 29 patients underwent surgical procedures for high output (> 1 L/day) (16) or recurrent chylothorax (13). We analyzed these patients to determine the surgical approach, perioperative complications, and outcomes of the treatment approach. RESULTS: Of the 29 patients, 12 patients developed chylothorax following esophagectomy, in 5 patients it resulted from lymphoproliferative disorders, in 2 patients following ascending aneurysm repair, in 2 after trauma, in 3 following lung resection, and in 1 patient respectively from coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), thymectomy for thymoma, vasculitis, and metastatic lung cancer, while 1 patient had no clear etiology. The median age of patients was 61 (range 20-79) years. 22 patients initially underwent thoracic duct ligation, 6 had talc pleurodesis, and one underwent bilateral pleuroperitoneal shunt placement. Approaches for thoracic duct ligation included: right thoracotomy (16), left thoracotomy (3), VATS (2), and right thoracotomy together with laparotomy (1). There were no intraoperative complications or deaths within 30 days or during postoperative hospitalization. The success rate after initial thoracic duct ligation was 95 % (21/22). One patient needed re-exploration after ligation with resolution of chylothorax after the second operation. The success rate after pleurodesis was 83 % (5/6). One patient after pleurodesis needed subsequent thoracic duct ligation for resolution of bilateral chylothoraces. All patients in this series had resolution of chylothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic duct ligation is the treatment of choice for high output or recurrent chylothorax with a 96 % success rate. Surgical pleurodesis is effective in some cases and may be an option for marginal patients.
Authors:
S Paul; N K Altorki; J L Port; B M Stiles; P C Lee
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2009-05-20
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon     Volume:  57     ISSN:  1439-1902     ISO Abbreviation:  Thorac Cardiovasc Surg     Publication Date:  2009 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-08-11     Completed Date:  2009-10-26     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7903387     Medline TA:  Thorac Cardiovasc Surg     Country:  Germany    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  226-8     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York.
Affiliation:
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New York Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10065, United States. pas2022@med.cornell.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Chylothorax / etiology,  surgery*,  therapy
Female
Humans
Iatrogenic Disease
Laparotomy
Ligation
Male
Middle Aged
Pleurodesis
Reoperation
Retrospective Studies
Talc / administration & dosage
Thoracic Duct / surgery
Thoracic Injuries / complications
Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted
Thoracic Surgical Procedures* / adverse effects
Thoracotomy
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
14807-96-6/Talc

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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