Introduction to Refractory Chylothorax

What is/are Refractory Chylothorax?

Refractory Chylothorax - A 3-month-old infant patient with hypoplastic left heart syndrome diagnosed in the prenatal period required long-term intensive care for refractory chylothorax and chylous ascites after undergoing bilateral pulmonary artery banding at age 6 days. ^[1] This is the first published case, as far as we know, of a term neonate with refractory chylothorax secondary to diastolic dysfunction in the cardiac postoperative period, where extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used to improve the physiologic derangements, thus allowing resolution of the chylous effusion. ^[2] We herein report a rare case of a 66-year-old man with refractory chylothorax. ^[3] Therefore, lymphangiography should be considered for refractory chylothorax that is unresponsive to chemotherapy or nutritional management. ^[4] The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intranodal lymphangiography (INL) with high-dose ethiodized oil in patients with postoperative refractory chylothorax. ^[5] The occurrence of Noonan with refractory chylothorax with RIT1 gene mutation is very rare. ^[6] Background To introduce a modified pleurodesis as an effective treatment for refractory chylothorax and to develop a novel insight for its mechanism. ^[7] Even though the gastropleural fistula is a very rare condition in paediatric patients, the physician should consider this diagnosis in a patient who has an unusual presentation or refractory chylothorax-like pleural effusion. ^[8] Open surgical and percutaneous approaches are often required to manage patients with refractory chylothorax. ^[9] CONCLUSIONS Octreotide is potentially a safe and effective therapy for treatment in pediatric patients with refractory chylothorax following surgery for congenital heart disease. ^[10] We report an extremely preterm infant born at 26 weeks of gestation with refractory chylothorax after patent ductus arteriosus ligation. ^[11] This is a rare case of sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis (S-LAM) manifesting as refractory chylothorax and chyloperitoneum. ^[12]