Chylous hip joint effusion and bone absorption after total hip arthroplasty in a patient with chylocolporrhoea: a case of Gorham's disease.

Abstract

Chyle is a sterile, milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats that is formed in the small intestines and taken up by lymph vessels. Chylous effusions usually occur after destruction or obstruction of lymphatic channels, and chylous joint effusions have been reported in association with rheumatoid and/or septic arthritis, and as the result of penetrating trauma to subsynovial fatty tissue and the intra-articular fat pad. We report a case of bone absorption and lytic change in the femur associated with a chylous hip joint effusion after a total hip arthroplasty (THA) in a patient with chylocolporrhoea and a history of chylous ascites.