Chylothorax as fatal complication in fulminating Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with AIDS

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is one of the earliest and most frequent manifestations of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. About 20 percent of all German AIDS patients present with KS as their first sign of AIDS. Visceral involvement occurs in up to 40% percent of patients with disseminated KS [1, 2, 3]. Fatal complications are known in pulmonary and gastrointestinal KS. They include respiratory failure and fatal bleeding [1, 2]. To our knowledge an arrosion of the thoracic duct with chylothorax has not yet been reported.