Treatment of Congenital Chylothorax in a Premature Infant using Octreotide

ABSTRACT

Chylothorax, defined as escape of chyle from the thoracic duct into the thoracic cavity, is the most common cause of pleural effusion during the neonatal period. The use of octreotide, a synthetic analogue of the somatostatin, for the treatment of congenital idiopathic chylothorax, has not been previously reported in Korea. We report here a case of idiopathic congenital chylothrax successfully treated with octreotide in a premature infant who showed no response to conservative therapies.