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Reminder of important clinical lesson
Case report
Chylothorax as a complication of extensive spontaneous left arm DVT
  1. Ahmed Gohar1,
  2. Fady Jamous1,2 and
  3. Natasha Meyer2
  1. 1Internal Medicine, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
  2. 2Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine, Avera Medical Group, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ahmed Gohar; dr.ahmedgohar{at}hotmail.com

Abstract

We present a case of right sided chylothorax in the setting of cirrhosis believed to be secondary to extensive venous thromboembolism of the left upper extremity and exacerbated by chylous ascites. Our patient responded to conservative management with anticoagulation and a repeat thoracentesis revealed transformation of the fluid back to straw coloured transudate. We also include a brief discussion of the diagnosis and management of chylothorax.

  • venous thromboembolism
  • respiratory medicine
  • cirrhosis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2019-232563

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All authors made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Following are specific contributions: AG—drafting the manuscript, interpretation of the data, coordination of the writers. FJ—clinical care of the patient, conceptual development of the paper, interpretation of the data, revising the work for important intellectual content. NM—clinical care of the patient, discussion of imaging, interpretation of the data, revising the work for important intellectual content.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.