Recurrent congenital chylothorax

Abstract

Congenital chylothorax is an uncommon but well-described condition. Recurrent congenital chylothorax is extremely rare. Yancy and Spock (1967) reviewed 31 reported cases of spontaneous chylothorax which occurred in the first 2 months of life and noted that male infants were affected twice as commonly as females. Two other cases of recurrent congenital chylothorax in male offspring (Defoort and Thiery, 1978; Reece et al., 1987) led to the suggestion of possible X-linked recessive inheritance. We describe a case of recurrent congenital chylothorax in which two consecutive female infants in a sibship were affected. The underlying cause of this disorder remains unknown. Inheritance as an X-linked recessive is not possible and this case is suggestive of autosomal recessive inheritance. The case also serves to emphasize the need for caution in counselling for recurrence risks when the underlying aetiology of the disorder is unknown.