A case of right pleural effusion in liver cirrhosis without ascites.

Yoon, Jin; Kim, Eung Jin; Kim, Soon Hye; Koh, Kwang Kon; Kim, Moon Jae; Chung, Won Jae; Cho, Chul Ho; Shin, Yong Woon; Park, Chan Sup

doi:1992.39.3.261

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 39(3); 1992 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1992;39(3):261-265.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1992.39.3.261 Published online June 1, 1992.

A case of right pleural effusion in liver cirrhosis without ascites.

Jin Yoon¹, Eung Jin Kim¹, Soon Hye Kim¹, Kwang Kon Koh¹, Moon Jae Kim¹, Won Jae Chung¹, Chul Ho Cho¹, Yong Woon Shin¹, Chan Sup Park²

¹Department of lnternal Medicine, ln ha University College of Medicine, Sungnam, Korea
²Department of Radiology, ln ha University College of Medicine, Sungnam, Korea

Abstract

Pleural effusion due to hepatic cirrhosis and ascites is well known. But rarely a pleural effusion may develop in a cirrhotic patient in the absence of detectable ascites. The differential diagnosis of a right-sided transudative pleural effusion in a patient with chronic liver disease with or without ascites includes congestive heart failure and nephrotic syndrome. These diseases are usually ruled out with standard clinical tests. Patients with hepatic hydrothorax should be treated with fluid restriction. diuretics and the correction of hypoalbuminemia. Patients with severe symptoms due to refractory hepatic hydrothorax might benefit from pleural sclerosis and surgical closure of diaphragmatic defect. We experienced a case of right-sided pleural effusion in liver cirrhosis without ascites.

Key Words: Hepatic hydrothorax, Ascites, Pleural effusion