CHYLOTHORAX - A RARE COMPLICATION OF ENDOSCOPIC VARICEAL SCLEROTHERAPY

Objective: A description of a rare complication of endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy. Design: A single patient case report, describing pre- and post-sclerotherapy symptoms as well as management of this complication. Setting: Department of pneumology in a university hospital. Patient: A 56-year-old woman with a history of cirrhosis and a recent haematemesis. Interventions: Sclerotherapy, thoracoscopy, pleuro-peritoneal shunt, spleno-renal shunt. Outcome: No pleural effusion recurrence after 2 years. Conclusion: The thoracic duct runs posterior to the middle third of the oesophagus and may be disrupted by variceal sclerotherapy.