Treatment of Chylothorax with Pleurodesis, a Lesser Known Complication of Behçet's Disease: A Case Report

Behçet's disease (bd) is a multisystemic vasculitis which usually affects optical, genital, and oral mucosae and often reoccurs intermittently. chylothorax is a very rare complication of bd which usually causes thrombosis in the major venous system. a 27-year-old man with a 10-year history of bd referred to our cardiovascular surgery department with symptoms of serious aches in the left arm, edema, and apparent veins on the left anterior chest wall. a total thrombosis of the left internal and external jugular veins and the left subclavian vein was observed. one month after a successful treatment and discharge, the patient returned to our clinic with symptoms of dyspnea and coughs. a chest radiograph showed a consolidated region. a milky liquid was aspirated through thoracocentesis from the left thorax, and its biochemical analysis helped us arrive at a diagnosis of chylothorax. the patient was hospitalized and administered corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy with a high-carbohydrate and low-fat dietary regimen for bd. thereafter, a left thoracic drainage system was established. on the seventh day of hospitalization, due to a progressing cheilosis flow, a pleurodesis process was applied with talcum powder. however, the chylous drainage was continued and 60 ml of venous autologous blood was injected into the left thorax through a drainage tube. the treatment was successful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital uneventfully. at 1 month’s follow-up, the chest radiograph was normal.