Somatostatin: a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chylothorax.

BACKGROUND

The standard treatment of chylothorax in pediatric intensive care today includes conservative therapy with fat-free nutrition, total parenteral nutrition and, if this is not successful, operative treatment (pleurodesis, ligation of the duct, pleuroperitoneal shunt).

PATIENTS: We describe four patients who were not in a suitable condition for operative treatment and who were treated with continuous infusion of somatostatin.

RESULTS

In three patients, chylothorax ceased with the continuous somatostatin infusion without side effects. One patient was treated without success.

CONCLUSIONS

Somatostatin is a therapeutic option for treatment of chylothorax and could reduce surgical intervention and hospitalization time, as well as allow earlier enteral feeding.