[Spontaneous chylothorax: seven cases of prenatal diagnosis]. / Quilotórax espontáneo: siete casos de diagnóstico prenatal.

ABSTRACT

Authors present 7 cases of spontaneous congenital chylothorax, all of them diagnosed antepartum echographycally. Six of them needed cardiopulmonary resucitation but none presented fetal anoxia. Three cases had associated malformations. Treatment included thoracocenthesis, pleural drainage, assisted ventilation and appropriate nutrition. Pleural effusion lasted from 14 days to 6 months. Complications were pneumothorax, metabolic acidosis and bacterial infections. Three patients died by respiratory failure. Pulmonary hypoplasia was present in two of them, and suspected in the third one. Survivors are free of symptoms.