Chylothorax following Penetrating Injury
Y. Kluger, B. Sagie, Y. Chemo, A. Ravid, Y. Paz, J. Klausner
Dept. of Surgery, Rabin Trauma Center and Sourasky-Tel Aviv Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv
We describe a 19-year-old man with 9 stab wounds of the chest. Initial evaluation revealed paraplegia at the D-10 level and bilateral hemothorax. 2 days after admission right-sided chylothorax was diagnosed. Fasting and total parenteral nutrition resulted in complete clearance. Chylothorax can cause major metabolic consequences, but prompt treatment results in full recovery.