Objective: Chylothorax which occasionally develops after surgical treatment of lung cancer is generally treated conservatively, and surgical treatment is limited to patients who do not respond well to conservative treatment.
Subjects and methods: Of the 941 lung cancer operation, 6 patients in whom Chylothorax developed after surgical treatment of lung cancer were evaluated for its characteristics and outcome.
Results: Two patients underwent thoracoscopic treatment. The duration of drainage was shorter for the 2 patients undergoing chylothorax operation than for the 4 patients who underwent conservative treatment. The mean duration of hospitalization after surgical treatment of lung cancer was 24 days for the patients who underwent conservative treatment alone and 12.5 days for the patients who underwent chylothorax operation.
Conclusion: Patients in whom chylothorax develops after surgical treatment of lung cancer should promptly undergo operation when the volume of chylous fluid is not decreased by conservative treatment.