Version 1
: Received: 7 November 2023 / Approved: 8 November 2023 / Online: 8 November 2023 (14:41:32 CET)
How to cite:
Bačić, I.; Morović, D.; Kovačić, I.; Vukosav, D.; Čulina, Ž.; Mihanovic, J. The Contemporary Approach to Chylothorax— Single‐Center Experience with the Proposal of Management Algorithm. Preprints2023, 2023110559. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.0559.v1
Bačić, I.; Morović, D.; Kovačić, I.; Vukosav, D.; Čulina, Ž.; Mihanovic, J. The Contemporary Approach to Chylothorax— Single‐Center Experience with the Proposal of Management Algorithm. Preprints 2023, 2023110559. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.0559.v1
Bačić, I.; Morović, D.; Kovačić, I.; Vukosav, D.; Čulina, Ž.; Mihanovic, J. The Contemporary Approach to Chylothorax— Single‐Center Experience with the Proposal of Management Algorithm. Preprints2023, 2023110559. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.0559.v1
APA Style
Bačić, I., Morović, D., Kovačić, I., Vukosav, D., Čulina, Ž., & Mihanovic, J. (2023). The Contemporary Approach to Chylothorax— Single‐Center Experience with the Proposal of Management Algorithm. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.0559.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Bačić, I., Željko Čulina and Jakov Mihanovic. 2023 "The Contemporary Approach to Chylothorax— Single‐Center Experience with the Proposal of Management Algorithm" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202311.0559.v1
Abstract
Objectives: Chylothorax is a relatively rare condition of lymphatic fluid accumulation in the thoracic cavity due to a leakage from the thoracic duct or its tributaries. Patients present with dyspnea, malnutrition, and immunosuppression. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, depending on etiology and clinical course. The optimal management algorithm for chylothorax is still controversial. Methods: This is a retrospective study of all patients with chylothorax treated at our Department of Thoracic Surgery during the 10-year period. Results: A total of 14 patients were identified for the study. Nine patients had chylothorax after lung or esophageal cancer surgery. Four patients had chylothorax in advanced lymphoma. One patient had chylothorax after blunt chest trauma. A conservative approach was initiated in most patients (92%), including pleural drainage, nil per mouth, total parenteral nutrition, and somatostatin 0.1 mg bid subcutaneously. Surgical treatment was indicated in patients with thoracic drain production >800 mL per day beyond the fifth day of treatment and those with blunt thoracic trauma. Two patients had thoracic duct ligation via right-sided thoracotomy, and five patients had video-assisted thoracoscopic thoracic duct ligation with the immediate arrest of chylous leakage. Conclusion: Chylothorax should be treated conservatively initially. Surgical treatment should not be delayed in case of failure beyond the fifth day. In our series of patients, a video-assisted thoracoscopic approach for thoracic duct ligation proved to be minimally invasive, highly efficient, and well tolerated by patients and, therefore, should be the preferable route of surgical treatment.
Keywords
Chylothorax; Thoracic Duct; Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Surgery
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
