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Bilateral chylothorax following left radical neck dissection (Case report)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

A. Pace-Balzan  and
B. Moriarty
A. Pace-Balzan*
Affiliation:
Registrar.
B. Moriarty
Affiliation:
Senior House Officer, Department of Otolaryngology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester.
*
A. Pace-Balzan, Department of Otolaryngology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL.
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Summary

Bilateral chylothorax is a rare complication of radical neck dissection and was first described in 1907. Stuart (1907) reviewed a number of patients with injuries to the thoracic duct in the neck and reported on three patients with bilateral chylothotax, all of whom died. The condition was not reported again until 1951 when the first of the five single case reported published to date appeared. The rarity with with which this complication is reported makes it difficult for clinicians to be familiar with it. A further case is reported and the relevant literture, and certain aspects of the aetiology and management are discussed.

Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 102 , Issue 3 , March 1988 , pp. 288 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1988

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References

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