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The smears show great numbers of lymphocytes in various degrees of maturation, some plasma cells, monocytes, and macrophages. This is normal in chylous effusions, and should not be confused with malignant lymphomas. The history of previous cardiac surgery is not infrequent in such cases, and explains the traumatic iatrogenic etiology of the chylothorax (chylothorax is a complication of 0.2~1.0% of cardiac surgeries).
| Case A July 2003 | Case C July 2003 | References | List of cases | Atlas |