Article

After malignancy, traumatic and surgical injuries to the upper abdomen and chest
are the leading causes of chylothorax. Thoracic spine extension injury, blunt or
penetrating chest trauma, anterior thoracic spine surgery, and increased
intra-abdominal pressure have all been implicated in the development of
chylothorax. Despite the physiatrist's frequent exposure to polytrauma and
postsurgical patients, there are no case reports of chylothorax complicating
inpatient rehabilitation or occurring in a patient fitted in a thoracic or lumbar
orthosis. We present the case of a patient with traumatic spinal cord injury from
a high-speed motor vehicle accident who was diagnosed with a left-sided
chylothorax while wearing a thoracolumbosacral orthosis 4 wks into her inpatient
rehabilitation stay. Knowledge of the anatomy of the thoracic duct can be useful
for diagnosing chylothorax in patients with thoracic spine fractures, upper
abdomen/chest injury, or thoracic surgery, as the trajectory of the duct often
determines the location of pleural effusion.

Langue : ANGLAIS