Novel surgical technique for insertion of pleuroperitoneal shunts for bilateral chylous effusions in ex preterm infant at term corrected age

Vimal Vasu (1) , Chinwendu Ude (2) , Vinit Shah (2, 3) , Eric Lim (4) , Andrew Bush (5)

1 Child Health
2 Child Health
3 Child Health
4 Thoracic Surgery
5 Paediatric Respiratory Medicine

Neonatal chylothorax is a relatively uncommon condition. Here we describe the case of an extremely preterm infant with bilateral chylous effusions which were resistant to conventional medical management and were ultimately managed with the insertion of pleuroperitoneal shunts using a novel surgical technique. Subsequently the infant recovered and the shunts could be removed. We report this case to highlight that such shunts can be inserted even in tiny preterm infants with minimally invasive techniques, and be extremely successful in managing chylothorax, pending spontaneous recovery.

Mots clés: Medicine

Vimal Vasu, Chinwendu Ude, Vinit Shah, Eric Lim, Andrew Bush. Novel surgical technique for insertion of pleuroperitoneal shunts for bilateral chylous effusions in ex preterm infant at term corrected age. Pediatric Pulmonology, 2010, 45 (8), pp.840. ⟨10.1002/ppul.21258⟩. ⟨hal-00552426⟩