SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF A CHYLOTHORAX IN INFANCY USING A PLEURECTOMY

The management of chylothorax is described in three infants. Because n one of them had had a direct injury to the thoracic duct, it was suspe cted that the chylothoraces had a significant chance of recurrence aft er simple ligation of the duct. To avoid recurrence, formal stripping of the parietal pleura was performed using a technique not previously reported in the literature. The operation was simple to perform and re sulted in resolution of the chylothorax in all infants, The three case s and details of the surgical procedure are described.