Management of refractory chylothorax in the neonatal intensive care unit: A 22-year experience.

Pleurodesis using OK432 could become a surgical first-line therapy for chylothorax even for neonates. It was important to initiate pleurodesis for refractory chylothorax at an earlier stage. A daily chylous effusion/body weight ratio of >101 ml/kg was a good predictor and seemed to be a useful parameter for prompt surgical intervention.