Chylothorax post thoracoscopic surgery for an anterior mediastinal tumor.

Chylothorax after anterior mediastinal surgery is rare. We treated a 39-year-old woman who presented with progressive dyspnea over 6 months. Chest computed tomography revealed a 12-cm round mass in the right anterior mediastinum. She underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for successful excision of the tumor; however, the surgery was complicated by the development of chylothorax. It was treated surgically with no recurrence of the tumor and/or chylothorax for 2 years. Chylothorax should be recognized as a postsurgical complication of anterior mediastinal tumors.