Can octreotide be the first line treatment for chylothorax?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chylothorax is a rare but serious condition with a high rate of morbidity that may lead to death. It may be spontaneous or a complication of cardiac surgery. Treatment of this potentially harmful condition is not well established and may comprise dietary interventions. In order to avoid surgery, somatostatin and octreotide have been recently suggested as new modalities for the treatment of chylothorax. OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of octreotide for the treatment of chylothorax. METHOD: Cases reports. RESULT: The authors report two cases of chylothorax successfully treated with intravenous infusion of octreotide as an adjunct to conventional treatment. Furthermore, the authors report their last case who were treated successfully with octreotide as the first line drug without diet modification. CONCLUSION: It seems that octreotide is effective, noninvasive and safe. It can be used as an optional or first line treatment for chylothorax.