Table 2

Main causes of chylothorax

Traumatic

  •  Iatrogenic

  • Thoracic and cervical surgery

  • Oesophagus surgery

  • Retroperitoneal surgery

  • Cervical vascular catherisation

  • Thoracic irradiation

  •  Non-iatrogenic

  • Penetrant and non-penetrant trauma

  • Increased thoracic pressure (peripartum, heavy cough or vomiting)

  • Nontraumatic

 Malignant

  • Lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, multiple myeloma

  • Lung cancer, oesophagus cancer, mediastinal metastasis of other cancers

  • Kaposi sarcoma

 Non-malignant obstruction of the thoracic duct or aberrant lymphatic flow

  • Sarcoidosis

  • Amyloidosis

  • Superior vena cava thrombosis

  • Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

  • Castleman disease

  • Goiter

  • Constrictive pericarditis

  • Yellow-nail syndrome

  • Chylous ascites

 Congenital

  • Turner syndrome

  • Noonan syndrome

 Infectious diseases

  • Tuberculosis

  • Histoplasmosis

  • Mediastinitis

  • Filariasis

  • Idiopathic

Idiopathic