• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.731-738
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• 1989

The development of chylothorax and chylopericardium are serious and often life-threatening clinical entity. The ideal treatment of these problems is not well established to date. We reviewed our experiences with chylothorax or chylopericardium in 16 patients [17 cases] from July 1979 to May 1989. Ages ranged from 20 days to 41 years. The etiologies were traumatic in 10, congenital or idiopathic in 5, and tuberculous lymphadenopathy in one. In 8 patients, the chylothorax or chylopericardium occurred as a complication of cardiothoracic surgery. Eleven patients were treated nonoperatively with either repeated thoracenteses or chest tube drainage. Five patients underwent operative treatment: transthoracic thoracic duct ligation [three patients], thoracic duct ligation combined with decortication [one], and oversewn the defect of mediastinal pleura[one]. Duration of preoperative therapy ranged from 18 to 38 days. One of eleven [9.1 %] patients treated nonoperatively died. Of the surgically treated group, there were no deaths. All patients except one dead cured or improved either treated nonoperatively or operatively. Our experience suggests that surgical management of the chylothorax or chylopericardium is not always required, and each patient must be judged individually according to disease process.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1440-1443
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• 1992

Traumatic chylothorax is the presence of lymphatic fluid in the pleural space resulting from thoracic duct rupture, This condition is a serious and often life-threatening clinical entity. Operative trauma is most common mechanism of injury, but we experienced two case of chylothorax due to blunt trauma. One case was treated conservatively, another case was treated surgically.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.379-382
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• 1988

We have experienced a case of right side chylothorax following closed chest injury. A 35-year-old man in his car was accidentally collided against obstacles on September 19, 1986 resulting in a contusion on right anterior chest wall. The only complaint noted on admission was right chest pain. Chest X-ray showed near total radiopaque density of right thorax. Conservative treatment of closed tube thoracostomy at right pleural cavity through midaxillary 7th intercostal space had been continued for 25 days without improvement. Chyle outflow through the chest tube was averaging 1,700cc per day. Oversewing of the thoracic duct and pleura by silk and pledgetted prolene sutures were done. There was no complication and recurrence till postoperative 20 days. Chylothorax following closed chest injury was never reported in this country, and will be a interesting clinical case report.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.503-509
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• 1989

We have experienced a case of left side chylothorax following the operation of PDA and lung cancer. A 26-years old woman visited to Inje medical college Pusan Paik hospital with frequent upper respiratory infection and dyspnea on Exertion. The result of the series of studies, she has been PDA and lung cancer, and then simple ligation of PDA and left pneumonectomy was performed. At 6days after operation, chylothorax was detected. The chylothorax was treated with conservative treatment only thoracentesis, NP0 and IV hyperalimentation

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1015-1018
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• 2004

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease in women in childbearing age leading to progressive respiratory failure. LAM is characterized by an abnormal harmartomatous proliferation of smooth muscle cells surrounding the blood vessels, lymphatics and airways in the lung. This proliferation leads to airway obstruction, cystic alveolar change and lymphatic obstruction. Patients present with dyspnea, pneumothorax, cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, and chylous effusion. Although lung transplantation is the only therapeutic modality in end-stage LAM with respiratory failure, there has not been any report of successful treatment in Korea. We report one case of successful left single lung transplantation in a 40 year old woman suffering from end-stage LAM.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.433-437
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• 1992

Tuberous sclerosis is a syndrome characterized by the facial skin lesion, epilepsy, and mental retardation. Pulmonary involvement is uncommon, but when the lung is involved by tuberous sclerosis it shows characteristic reticulonodular infiltration and cystic changes. We experienced a 34-year-old female patient of known tuberous sclerosis admitted due to pneumothorax. Chest PA showed diffuse fine reticulonodular infiltration and chest CT revealed diffuse cystic changes of the lung. Pleurodesis with tetracycline was done to prevent recurrence, but chylothorax occurred four months after the treatment. Pleurosis was tried again and anti estrogen treatment began.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.273-276
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• 2016

Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm in dogs. This report describes a case of pericardial mesothelioma in a 13-year-old Shih Tzu that presented with a clinical history of dyspnea. Hemorrhagic pericardial effusion and chylous pleural effusion with reactive mesothelial cells were identified by radiograph and cytology. Necropsy revealed multiple round nodules throughout the pericardium and regional lymph nodes in addition to chylothorax. Histopathology revealed invasive neoplasm on the pericardial surface with metastasis to the lymph nodes. The neoplastic cells were immunopositive to both cytokeratin and vimentin. Diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma with regional lymph node metastasis was made.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.1
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• pp.59-62
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• 2012

Tube thoracostomy is known to cause complications such as bleeding or infection, but the incidence of chylothorax secondary to tube thoracostomy is under-reported, and therefore, we report this case. A patient was diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus with pleural and pericardial involvement. During repeated therapeutic thoracentesis, which were performed because of poor response to steroids and cylophosphamide, hemothorax developed and we therefore inserted a chest tube. The pleural effusion changed from red to milky color in several hours and we diagnosed the pleural effusion as chylothorax. Total parenteral nutrition based on medium-chain triglycerides was supplied to this patient and chylothorax was improved after 4 days.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 1996

Between 1987 and 1994, 21 patients were treated surgically for aortic aneurysm involving the thoracoabdominal aorta. There were 11 males and 10 females, and their age ranged from 20 to 67 years old and mean age was 41.5 years. Many complained of back pain, chest pain or discomfort, and flank pain, but three patients were asymptomatic. 15 patients had chronic dissection (71.4%) and 6 had nondissecting fusiform or saccular aneurysm(28.5%), and of those 15 patients with chronic dissection, 6(28.5%) had atherosclerosis assniated with hypertension, 5 (23.8%) were Martian syndrome, and 2 (9.5%) were associated with pregnancy. The diameter of an aneurysm ranged from 6cm to 12cm, and their extent was classified as type I in 7(33.3%), type II in 8(38.1%), type III in 3(14.3%), and type IV in 3(14.3%) patients based on Crawford classification for TAA . Diseased aorta was replaced with artificial vascular graft in all but one patient. In whom the aortic tear site due to pseudoaneurysm was closed by primary suture. For the spinal cord protection during the operation, we used partial cardiopulmonary bypass (FV-FA or PA-FA bypass) in 12 patients (57.1%), Biopump (LA-FA bypass) in 4(19.0%), total circulartory arrest and CPB in 2 (9.5%), Gott's heparinized shunt in 1(4.7%), and simple aortic cross clamping in 2 (9.5%). The most common complication after the operation was hoarseness due to unilateral vocal cord palsy which onured in 5 patients (23.8%), and the next common complication was wound infection in 4 patients(19.0%), paraplegia in 2 patients (9.5%), chylothorax in 1 patient(4.7%). The hospital mortality rate was 9.5% (2deaths), and there was no late death. Our experience shows that the graft replacement of TAAA had reasonable rate of mortality, low rate of serious complication, and provided good post operative state of the pati nts, and since the thoracoabdominal aortic operation is not a high risky procedure anymore, we recommend a radical operation for the indicated patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.655-659
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• 2005

Esophageal duplication cysts are rare congenital lesions that occur as a result of a failure in the tubulation of the esophagus. They are most frequently single, tubular, or cystic. They may cause compressive symptoms or may be discovered incidentally on chest radiographs. They become symptomatic when complications develop. Symptoms often are related to the location of the duplication; esophageal lesions can create respiratory difficulties. The definitive diagnosis of esophageal duplication cysts requires the pathological evaluation of the cyst after surgical removal. We experienced a rare tubular esophageal duplication, in a 2-month old girl who presented with fever and grunting. This is the first reported case in which the sequence of events of ruptured tubular esophageal duplication with empyema, mediastinitis and aneurysm occured.