Chylothorax-Literature Review and Two Rare Cases

Chylothorax is the accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the pleural space. It can be recognized by the presence of chylomicrons in the pleural fluid. It results from either obstruction or laceration of the thoracic duct. The most common causes are surgical or nonsurgical trauma, neoplasms, tubercu­losis and venous trombosis. The most common neoplastic cause is lym­phoma, while other malignant causes are very rare. In this article we pre­sent two malignant cases which rarely present with chylothorax and review the related literature.