New combined medical treatment with etilefrine and octreotide for chylothorax after esophagectomy a case report and review of the literature

Yu Ohkura, Masaki Ueno, Toshiro Iizuka, Shusuke Haruta, Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Harushi Udagawa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Postoperative chylothorax is a rare but well-known complication of general thoracic surgery. Medical treatment of chylothorax was reported in the past, but there is still considerable controversy on the appropriate management strategies. Two patients with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy, 2-field lymph node dissection, and resection of thoracic duct together with ileocolic reconstruction via the retrosternal route at our hospital. Chylothorax developed on the 32nd postoperative day (POD) in 1 patient and the 12th POD in the other, manifesting as a change in the character of thoracic drainage to turbid white. Both were immediately started on octreotide (300mg/day) and etilefrine (120 mg/day). When the amount of pleural effusion decreased to <50 mL/day, we performed pleurodesis with Picibanil (OK432). Thereafter, the patients gradually made satisfactory progress and resumed oral food intake, and the thoracotomy tubes were eventually removed. They have remained recurrence-free at the time of writing. In this report, we demonstrated the clinical efficacy of etilefrine for the management of postesophagectomy chylothorax. New medical treatment options for this condition are now broad and the usefulness of combined therapy consisting of a sclerosing agent, etilefrine, and octreotide is underscored, regardless of the status of the thoracic duct.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2214
JournalMedicine (United States)
Volume94
Issue number49
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'New combined medical treatment with etilefrine and octreotide for chylothorax after esophagectomy a case report and review of the literature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this