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Case Reports
. 2020 May 6:8:2050313X20921332.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X20921332. eCollection 2020.

Refractory chylous effusions in lymphangioleiomyomatosis patient post lung transplant

Samuel Jacob  1 , Mojahid Ali  1 , Magdy M El-Sayed Ahmed  1 , Maxim Itkin  2 , Tathagat Narula  3 , Si Pham  1 , David Erasmus  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Refractory chylous effusions in lymphangioleiomyomatosis patient post lung transplant

Samuel Jacob et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare systemic disorder of unknown etiology that affects young women almost exclusively. Chylous effusions are known to be associated with lymphangioleiomyomatosis and may be difficult to treat. We present the case of a 37-year-old female who received bilateral lung transplantation for lymphangioleiomyomatosis complicated by refractory chylothorax and chylous ascites, ultimately controlled through repeated, open surgical procedures and percutaneous lymphatic embolization interventions. The combined surgical and interventional radiological approach, while not novel in their own right, suggests that a multi-modal interventional approach may be required in refractory cases.

Keywords: Surgery; chylous effusions; embolization; lung transplant; refractory; respiratory medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Iodinated contrast to verify the location of the lymphatic leak.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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