Conservative management of postsurgical chylothorax with octreotide.

Postsurgical chylothorax after lung resection has an important associated rate of morbidity and mortality, and a large proportion of cases require re-exploration. The most desirable and least aggressive option is conservative treatment. The use of octreotide seems to be associated with a higher rate of resolution without the need for surgical intervention. We present 4 cases in which this drug showed excellent efficacy and minimal adverse effects in the resolution of postsurgical chylothorax.