Bilateral Chylothorax Secondary to Retrosternal Goitre: a Case Report and Review of the Literature

  • Ruth Patricia Cusack Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork
  • Jane McCarthy Department of Gastroenterology, Mercy University Hospital, Cork
  • Terence Markham O'Connor Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12890/2016_000388

Keywords

Pleural effusion, chylothorax, goitre

Abstract

Chylothorax is characterized by an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the pleural cavity due to damage to the thoracic duct. The aetiology can be traumatic or non-traumatic. Goitre is a rare cause of chylothorax with only eight cases previously described in the literature including only one case causing a bilateral chylothorax. This report describes a patient with bilateral chylothorax secondary to substernal goitre, which was successfully treated, and discusses this very rare case in light of the available literature.

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References

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    • Published: 2016-04-12

    Issue: Vol 3 No 3 (view)

    Section: Articles

    How to cite:
    Cusack, R., McCarthy, J., & O’Connor, T. (2016). Bilateral Chylothorax Secondary to Retrosternal Goitre: a Case Report and Review of the Literature. European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine, 3(3). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.12890/2016_000388