A Newborn with a Congenital Chylothorax

Congenital chylothorax is an uncommon cause of respiratory distress and a life-threatening condition in newborns. It is identified by abnormal accumulation of chyle in the pleural space. Herein, we report a male infant who was born by a successful vaginal delivery. After the first three days of life, he had feeding difficulties and cyanotic episodes during breastfeeding. On admission, physical examination showed decreased breath sounds on the right side of the chest and the plain chest X-ray indicated right-sided pleural effusion. This patient was diagnosed with congenital chylothorax, based on the evaluation of pleural fluid via diagnostic and therapeutic thoracentesis and postnatal diagnostic X-rays. Since the effusion was persistent after drainage of pleural space, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and surgical pleurodesis (on the right side of lung) were performed on the patient.  Due to the fact that congenital chylothorax is a life-threatening condition, reporting these cases could be a great assistance to physicians for managing the disease; it can also help with reducing the resultant morbidity and mortality.

Keywords:

Congenital chylothorax , Enteral Nutrition , Newborn , Pleurodesis