Late-period-onset chylothorax after a pulmonary resection for lung cancer: a case report
Suemitsu, R.; Ondo, K.; Fukuyama, S.; Ueda, H.
Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Official Journal of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia 13(5): 345-348
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 1341-1098 PMID: 17954994 Document Number: 606780
A 65-year-old female had been diagnosed with right lung cancer by her family physician, and she was introduced to our Department of Thoracic Surgery at Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital in May 2004. She underwent a right upper lobectomy and wedge resection of S6 with the systematic dissection of her mediastinal lymph nodes. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged on postoperative day 19. However, chylothorax was detected on a chest roentgenogram when she consulted our outpatient clinic again for dyspnea on exertion and chest pain. Chylothorax occurred in postoperative day 34. The patient initially received conservative therapy, but subsequently underwent surgical treatment and fibrin glue intubation when conservative therapy proved to be unsuccessful.