The Institute of Chest Wall Surgery
Treatment for A 2-Month-Old Infant with Congenital Chylothorax
Medical History
The patient, a 2-month-old infant, was diagnosed with congenital chylothorax at birth. When the condition is severe, the patient experienced rapid breathing and even obvious symptoms of respiratory distress.
Preoperative Examination
The patient presents with bilateral pleural effusion of significant volume. In addition, due to significant loss of chyle, the patient’s nutrition and immunity have severely deteriorated, with virtually no increase in weight, still remaining around 2.5 kg as at birth. The patient’s condition is critical and urgent treatment is required.
Treatment
Given the complexity of the patient’s condition, we designed a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses both the production and reflux of chyle simultaneously:
1. Closed chest drainage was implemented, draining about 100ml daily to alleviate the pressure of the effusion on thoracic organs and relieve respiratory distress quickly.
2. Dietary modifications were implemented, with systemic medication as a supplement, to minimize the production and leakage of chyle.
3. Intrathoracic treatment was conducted to alleviate or eliminate lymphatic obstruction until chylothorax was cured.
After one month of treatment, the patient’s lymphatic obstruction was progressively alleviated, with other health indicators largely normalized. The patient was successfully discharged.