This case highlights chylothorax secondary to innominate vein thrombosis as a rare, late complication of transvenous pacemaker implantation that can be successfully managed with pleurodesis and angioplasty.
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May warrant consideration of talc pleurodesis and angioplasty for post-pacemaker chylothorax; leaves open optimal strategies in larger series.
A case of chylothorax following innominate vein thrombosis which developed as a late complication of transvenous pacemaker implantation is discussed. A 78-year-old man presented with a refractory left-sided pleural effusion, which turned out to be a chylothorax. He had undergone a transvenous pacemaker implantation 6 years earlier for sick sinus syndrome. Aetiological work-up showed occlusion of the innominate vein as the cause for the chylothorax. The chylothorax resolved following pleurodesis with talc slurry, and the innominate vein was recanalized by angioplasty. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of this nature.
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Thomas et al. (2005) studied this question.
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