title: Bilateral chylothorax after thymectomy via median sternotomy and resolution through conservative treatment.
abstract: Thymectomy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of myasthenia gravis patients. Rarely, bilateral chylothorax, was noted as a complication of thymectomy via median sternotomy. Probably unseen division of mediastinal lymphatics, remote from thoracic duct, can explain this phenomenon. We report the case of a patient, female, who developed bilateral chylothorax after the former surgical approach, and our initial conservative policy to treat it (unilateral chest tube, total parenteral nutrition and subcutaneous administration of octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analog), with good results.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Service, General Universitary Hospital, Maestro Alonso 109, 03010 Alicante, Spain. jjmafe@yahoo.es
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mafé
authors.forename: José M Galbis
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Caravajal
authors.forename: Benno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baschwitz
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Paniagua
mesh_terms: D002916:Chylothorax / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*