Left pleural effusion (white area in the lung field on the readers' right)
Chylothorax results when there is injury to the thoracic duct and lymph tissue escapes in the chest cavity causing a pleural effusion, most commonly the left chest.
Initial management steps include chest tube drainage of the affected pleural space and nothing per mouth with supplementation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
If leak persists after two weeks, surgery is performed to ligate the thoracic duct.
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