Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant, variably expressed multisystem disease. The predominant pulmonary features of TSC are identical to those of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Pneumothorax, multifocal micronodular pneumocyte hyperplasia, and chylothorax are rare complications of TSC. We report a young male with pneumothorax, lung nodules, and chylous effusion who develope...

Pleural effusion can occur as complication of many diseases. They are classified broadly in to exudative and transudative effusion based on Light's criteria. Common causes of transudative effusions are congestive cardiac failure, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, superior venacava obstruction, peritoneal dialysis, glomerulonephritis, myxoedema, pulmonary emboli and sarcoidosis whereas exudative PE...

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a common form of congenital heart disease with abnormal development of left-sided structures of the heart. As excessive pulmonary blood flow is common prior to palliative surgical procedures, therapeutic maneuvers may be required to decrease pulmonary blood flow and augment systemic cardiac output. Respiratory manipulations to optimize the ratio of pulm...

Chylothorax occurs in 0.25 to 0.50% of cardiac operations performed through thoracotomy incisions and is more unusual after median sternotomy. A case of chylothorax following coronary artery bypass grafting is presented. Combined treatment with pleural drainage, "nothing per os", total parenteral nutrition and subcutaneous injection of somatostatin was effective and led to rapid cessation of ch...

We report the case of a young woman with tuberous sclerosis who developed a chylous pleural effusion after several invasive procedures for treatment of recurring pneumothoraces. Oophorectomy was rejected by the patient and progesterone therapy initiated. Medroxyprogesterone acetate administration led to a complete disappearance of the chylothorax in 8 months. The patient was kept on therapy, an...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether increased antithrombin loss is present in children with chylothorax after cardiac surgery. METHODS Plasma and pleural effusion samples of children with chylous and non-chylous pleural effusion were assayed for antithrombin activity. RESULTS Ten children with chylothorax and five children with non-chylous pleural effusion were investigated. There was statistica...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of video-assisted thoracoscopy in the surgical treatment of chylothorax developed after the surgical correction of congenital heart disease in children. METHODS We reviewed the medical charts of 3,092 children who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease between February of 2002 and February of 2007 at the Heart Institute of the University of São Paulo Scho...

Pediatric intervcntional cardiology was conceived in the 1960s by Dr. William Rashkind, emerged as a distinct suhspccialty during the 198Os, and has come of age in the 1990s. At C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the number of interventional pediatric cardiac catheterizations has grown rapidly during the past decade (Fig. 1). Therapeutic procedures currently comprise 35%-40% of all cardiac catheter...

Chylothorax, the accumulation of chyle in the pleural space, is a relatively rare cause of pleural effusion in children. It can cause significant respiratory morbidity, as well as lead to malnutrition and immunodeficiency. Thus, a chylothorax requires timely diagnosis and treatment. This review will first discuss the anatomy and physiology of the lymphatic system and discuss various causes that...

Chylous ascites and chylothorax are rare clinical entities and usually caused by neoplasms, particularly lymphomas, liver cirrhosis, superior vena cava thrombosis, nephrotic syndrome, and some cardiac events such as dilated cardiomyopathy or right heart failure. Constrictive pericarditis is an extremely rare cause of this clinical state. We report a 41-year-old male patient undergoing haemodial...