The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 75, 642-645, Copyright © 1978 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Chylothorax and chylopericardial tamponade following Blalock-Taussig anastomosis
EP Hargus, SD Carson, RL McGrath, RR Wolfe and DR Clarke
A case of chylothorax following a right-sided Blalock-Taussig shunt is
presented. Chylopericardial tamponade eventually developed, because the
mediastinal leakage of chyle was sealed off from the pleural cavity and
diverted into the pericardium. Chylopericardium is a rare cause of an
enlarged cardiac silhouette on a postoperative chest roentgenogram, but the
importance of differentiating it from congestive heart failure is
illustrated. When chylopericardial tamponade occurs, treatment consists of
(1) aspiration for immediate relief and, if there is recurrence, (2)
surgical evacuation of the pericardium with tube drainage or
pericardiectomy and (3) ligation of the source of chylous drainage.