Spontaneous bilateral chylothorax in a patient with epilepsy.
Lawrence, Chloe Riley, Callum Lihony, Shayan Holden, Angela Huntley, Christopher Wharton, Simon Abulaban, Osama
Lawrence, Chloe
Riley, Callum
Lihony, Shayan
Holden, Angela
Huntley, Christopher
Wharton, Simon
Abulaban, Osama
Affiliation
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; University of Birmingham
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Publication date
2025-12-31
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Abstract
This case report discusses a woman in her 30s presenting with an acute, rapidly progressive left anterior cervical swelling. While the neck swelling improved spontaneously, the patient subsequently developed large bilateral pleural effusions with respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support in the high dependency unit. Therapeutic thoracocentesis yielded chylous pleural fluid bilaterally. The respiratory failure subsequently improved and the patient was discharged home. This was an atypical presentation of chylothorax with no history of malignancy, atypical infection or apparent blunt trauma to the thoracic cage. The presence of bilateral chylothoraces suggested a multilevel thoracic duct injury. A significant tonic-clonic epileptic seizure, 6 days prior, is hypothesised as the potential underlying cause, which has not previously been reported in the literature.
Citation
Lawrence C, Riley C, Lihony S, Holden A, Huntley C, Wharton S, Abulaban O. Spontaneous bilateral chylothorax in a patient with epilepsy. BMJ Case Rep. 2025 Dec 31;18(12):e270661. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2025-270661.
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Report