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A chylothorax is a rare but serious condition where lymphatic fluid, called chyle, leaks into the space between your lungs and your chest wall. This fluid builds up and can press on your lungs, which makes it hard to breathe.
read more about chylothorax ...This condition is caused by a leak in the thoracic duct. This is the main tube in your chest that carries chyle. The most common cause of a leak is a complication from chest or heart surgery. It can also be caused by a serious chest injury or by a tumor in the chest that presses on the duct.
Chyle is a milky-white fluid that is part of your lymphatic system. After you eat, this fluid transports the fats and proteins from your food into your bloodstream. It is a very important fluid for nutrition.
The symptoms are caused by the fluid putting pressure on the lungs. The most common symptom is shortness of breath that gets worse over time. A person may also have a cough, chest pain or a feeling of tightness, and general weakness. Because the body is losing chyle, a person can also become malnourished.
A doctor will usually start with a chest X-ray or a CT scan, which will show the fluid in the chest. To know for sure if the fluid is chyle, the doctor must drain a sample of it. They do this by putting a needle into the chest (a thoracentesis). The fluid is then sent to a lab to be tested for high levels of fat, which confirms it is chyle.
Treatment has two main goals: to drain the fluid and to stop the leak. First, a doctor will put in a chest tube to drain the fluid from the lungs. To stop the leak, you will be put on a special diet with no fat at all. You may get your nutrition through an IV instead. This gives the duct a rest and allows it to heal. If the leak does not stop, you may need surgery to seal or tie off the duct.
Yes. It is a serious condition. The fluid makes it hard to breathe, and the loss of chyle can cause serious nutrition problems and weaken your immune system. It must be treated in a hospital.
No. It is not an infection and you cannot catch it from or give it to another person. It is a physical leak in a duct.
Yes. In many cases, the leak can be stopped with diet and draining. If that does not work, surgery is often very successful at fixing the problem.
You should go to the emergency room or see your doctor right away if you have shortness of breath that is getting worse. It is very important to see a doctor if you have trouble breathing, a cough, or chest pain in the days or weeks after you have had surgery on your chest or heart.
1. Chylothorax: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24921-chylothorax. April?20,?2023.
2. Pleural Effusion. Merck?Manual Professional Edition. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/pulmonary-disorders/mediastinal-and-pleural-disorders/pleural-effusion. May?2,?2024.
3. Thoracic Duct: Function & Anatomy. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/thoracic-duct. May?5,?2025.
4. Chyle?Leak: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23993-chyle-leak. January 28,?2026.
5. Overview of the Lymphatic System. Merck?Manual Professional Edition. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/cardiovascular-disorders/lymphatic-disorders/overview-of-the-lymphatic-system. March?2026.