Importance
Chylothorax is the most common cause of pleural effusion in neonates and relatively rare in children. It can cause significant respiratory morbidity. Many clinical entities may contribute to chylothorax.
Objective
To investigate the causes and manifestations of chylothorax in infants and children in China.
Methods
Case records of 107 cases with chylothorax seen in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2007 to 2017 were retrieved and analyzed; follow‐up was carried out by telephone.
Results
Of 107 cases, 58.9% (63/107) were primary chylothorax (
PC
) and 41.1% (44/107) were secondary chylothorax (
SC
). Also, 36.4% (39/107) were neonatal chylothorax (
NC
) and 35.5% (38/107) were postoperative chylothorax. In
PC
with a verified lymphatic anomaly, there was one case of diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis (
DPL
) and six cases of generalized lymphatic anomaly (
GLA
), which accounted for 6.5% (7/107) of cases. In most patients, chylothorax was alleviated by conservative treatment based on total parenteral nutrition (
TPN
); 13.1% (14/107) of cases needed further surgery. In
NC
, the median duration of
TPN
was 9 days, but 10 of 20 cases who improved had recurrence upon re‐introduction of a fat‐free diet, which was alleviated by further
TPN
. The duration of hospitalization was (23 ± 14) days for congenital chylothorax. Upon long‐ term follow‐up, except for
GLA
and
DPL
, most patients were doing well without recurrence.
Interpretation
NC
and postoperative chylothorax are the common subtypes.
TPN
is effective for most patients. Despite a prolonged and fluctuating clinical course, most patients had a good long‐term prognosis.