A rare cause of dyspnea due to chylothorax

Abstract

We report the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department of another hospital and was referred to our pediatric intensive care unit with dyspnea and tachypnea of recent onset. The diagnosis of massive chylothorax with mediastinal shift was made on chest radiographs and CT scan. Initial investigations revealed no definite cause for the chylothorax. On later radiography and CT imaging with 3D surface rendering, a marked bone loss of the left ribs, clavicle, and shoulder joint was shown. The diagnosis of Gorham-Stout disease associated with chylothorax was suspected and histologically confirmed.