Neck mass and bilateral pleural effusions in a 53-year-old female

Submitted: June 26, 2023
Accepted: September 18, 2023
Published: September 28, 2023
Abstract Views: 129
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Authors

Chylothorax indicates the accumulation of chyle in the pleural cavity. It is a rare cause of pleural effusion, especially bilaterally. In clinical practice, the presence of milky fluid in the pleural cavity raises the suspicion of chylothorax. The most common cause is trauma, iatrogenic or non, owing to thoracic duct injury, which transports chyle from the lymphatic system into the bloodstream. The case we describe is of a 53-year-old female who was referred to our hospital with bilateral pleural effusions and a left supraclavicular mass. From the diagnostic studies, the nontraumatic causes of chylothorax were excluded. The potential diagnosis was traumatic chylothorax, a diagnosis of exclusion, as it appeared after muscle stretch and receded with a fat-free diet and repose without any relapse.

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Citations

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How to Cite

Papathanasiou, Sophia K., Ilias E. Dimeas, Sotirios I. Sinis, Zoe Daniil, and Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis. 2023. “Neck Mass and Bilateral Pleural Effusions in a 53-Year-Old Female”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease, September. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2684.