title: [Case of idiopathic chylothorax successfully treated with surgical ligation of thoracic ducts].
abstract: A 72-year-old woman visited a clinic for anorexia and general fatigue but no particular abnormality was detected by routine examination at that time. Thereafter, she experienced gradually increasing dyspnea and chest X ray showed right pleural effusion. Idiopathic chylothorax was diagnosed due to the milky effusion with a high concentration of triglyceride (2618 mg/dl) and no apparent causative disease. Irrespective of treatments including dietary restriction, drainage of the pleural space, and somatostatin injections, her effusion did not reduce. The leakage of lymph fluid from the right posterior mediastinum was identified by lymphatic scintigraphy and she was successfully treated with surgical ligation of the thoracic ducts.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inomoto
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukahori
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Chizu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuse
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002916:Chylothorax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation; D061305:Lymphoscintigraphy; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000601:surgery*; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome