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

McGrath EE, Blades Z, Anderson P. Chylothorax: aetiology, diagnosis and therapeutic options. Resp Med 2010;104:1–8.

Bessone LN, Ferguson TB, Burford TH. Chylothorax. Ann Thorac Surg 1971;12:527–550.

Doerr CH, Allen MS, Nichols FC, Ryu JH. Etiology of chylothorax in 203 patients. Mayo Clin Proc 2005;80:867–870.

Simmgen M, Newlands ES, Southcott BM, Vigushin DM. Bilateral chylothorax due to retrosternal goiter in a patient with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Med Oncol 2001;18:153–157.

Published: 2016-04-12

Issue: Vol. 3 No. 3 (view)

Section: Articles

How to cite:
1.
Cusack RP, McCarthy J, O’Connor TM. Bilateral Chylothorax Secondary to Retrosternal Goitre: a Case Report and Review of the Literature. EJCRIM 2016;3 doi:10.12890/2016_000388.