Congenital chylothorax, a
condition in which chyle accumulates in the pleural cavity, is extremely rare. The
reported incidence is 1 in 24,000 births. Medical treatment using octreotide as
well as chemical and surgical pleurodesis has been reported, but also few reports on the
successful use of Sildenafil exists.We herein report a case of congenital chylothorax referred to our
Hospital at 7days-old.
Sildenafil was introduced on day 6 post intubation. Before the introduction of
sildenafil, the peak total daily drainage was 106ml/kg/day (340mls/day), and after sildenafil was introduced, the
total daily drainage dropped progressively to 10ml/kg/day by day 11 post intubation. This case
report highlights the successful use of oral Sildenafil for treatment of
congenital chylothorax and also peculiarities of management related to a
resource-constrained
developing country setting in Africa.
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