Traumatic Chylothorax

In chylothorax, the chyle leaks in the pleural cavity.

Traumatic chylothorax occurs most often due to iatrogenic injury of the thoracic duct and lymphatic system during thoracic, cardiac and ENT surgeries.

The amount of the fluid that leaks from the chest can be up to several liters a day. If the chylothorax occurs after the surgery or trauma, the leak occurs most often from the main the thoracic duct. In order to stop the leak the blockage of the thoracic duct can be performed, using the procedure that is called thoracic duct embolization (TDE). TDE is a minimally invasive procedure and includes intranodal lymphangiography and percutaneous access of the thoracic duct following thoracic duct embolization.