CURRENT TOPIC Treatment of thoracic lymphangiomatosis

Lymphangiomas are rare benign neoplasms believed to be the result of abnormal develop-ment of the lymphatic system. They grow very slowly usually localised to one organ, but occa-sionally involve several organs in one part of the body. In the chest, involvement of the mediasti-num, lung, heart, pleura, pericardium, ribs, and vertebrae may be seen in the same patient. Histologically they are made up of spaces lined with endothelium, varying from capillary size to several centimetres in diameter. They contain clear straw coloured fluid occasionally mixed with blood. The spaces are supported by a stroma of variable thickness containing lymphoid tissue. The aetiology is unknown bu