BACKGROUND: Bilothorax is a rare and poorly documented condition in the medical literature, with following hepatobiliary procedures being the most common cause. We present a case of bilothorax following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for choledocholithiasis.
METHODS: A 71-year-old woman with a history of prior percutaneous biliary stone removals presented with Charcot\'s triad and was diagnosed with cholangitis due to a distal common bile duct stone. She underwent ERCP with successful stone extraction and stent placement. Two days later, she developed a right-sided pleural effusion diagnosed as a post-ERCP bilothorax. She was treated with thoracentesis and antibiotics, and her condition significantly improved. After 15 days, she was discharged, and a one-month follow-up showed no complications or recurrence.
UNASSIGNED: Bile is a potent chemo irritant that can cause adhesive pleurodesis. Besides, accompanying cholangitis can lead to pleural infection and empyema. In this patient, early diagnosis leading to timely pleural drainage decisions helped avoid potential consequences.
CONCLUSIONS: Post-ERCP bilothorax is a rare complication but can lead to severe consequences. Nonoperative management by pleural drainage is a safe and effective strategy if diagnosis is made early, helping patients avoid more invasive interventions.

UNASSIGNED: Bilothorax is defined as the presence of bile in the pleural space. It is a rare condition, and diagnosis is confirmed with a pleural fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio of >1.
UNASSIGNED: The PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and CINAHL databases were searched using predetermined Boolean parameters. The systematic literature review was done per PRISMA guidelines. Retrospective studies, case series, case reports, and conference abstracts were included. The patients with reported pleural fluid analyses were pooled for fluid parameter data analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Of 838 articles identified through the inclusion criteria and removing 105 duplicates, 732 articles were screened with abstracts, and 285 were screened for full article review. After this, 123 studies qualified for further detailed review, and of these, 115 were pooled for data analysis. The mean pleural fluid and serum bilirubin levels were 72 mg/dL and 61 mg/dL, respectively, with a mean pleural fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio of 3.47. In most cases, the bilothorax was reported as a subacute or remote complication of hepatobiliary surgery or procedure, and traumatic injury to the chest or abdomen was the second most common cause. Tube thoracostomy was the main treatment modality (73.83%), followed by serial thoracentesis. Fifty-two patients (51.30%) had associated bronchopleural fistulas. The mortality was considerable, with 18/115 (15.65%) reported death. Most of the patients with mortality had advanced hepatobiliary cancer and were noted to die of complications not related to bilothorax.
UNASSIGNED: Bilothorax should be suspected in patients presenting with pleural effusion following surgical manipulation of hepatobiliary structures or a traumatic injury to the chest. This review is registered with CRD42023438426.

A pleural effusion is an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space due to an imbalance between formation and removal. They\'re commonly caused by heart failure or infections. We report a case of a 56-year-old male with community-acquired pneumonia and a trace pleural effusion on presentation. Despite clinical improvement with antibiotic therapy, the effusion significantly increased on day two. This case report is unique because the patient had an enlarging effusion, but remained asymptomatic and denied worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, or cough. The patient was treated successfully with chest tube placement and intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy. This report emphasizes the importance of repeat imaging for asymptomatic parapneumonic effusions (PPE) that can complicate community-acquired pneumonia. We aim to raise awareness of the atypical presentation and management of parapneumonic effusions through a case report.

Pleural catheters are widely used for patients with pleural effusions. Several complications with limited morbidity have been reported. We report, to our knowledge, the first case of a pleural catheter insertion into the hepatic vein, passed through the inferior vena cava, and the tip reaching the right atrium, which may be reduced using additional imaging during thoracocentesis.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare type of B cell non-Hodgkin\'s lymphoma. MCL is most commonly identified in the gastrointestinal tract. Yet, many other extranodal sites have been described in the literature, including the rare instances of the primary site being the pleura of the lung. We present a case with a 73-year-old female who presented with a three-month history of unintentional weight loss, nocturnal fever, and night sweats. She had recurrent left pleural effusions; however, thoracentesis and pleural fluid cytology were negative for malignancy. A definitive diagnosis was achieved after the patient underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery. MCL presenting as a pleural effusion is rarely reported in the literature.

Non-expandable lungs are usually diagnosed after a pleural intervention. It can be challenging to differentiate between an iatrogenic pneumothorax and a new diagnosis of non-expandable lungs following a pleural intervention. The correct assessment can save the patient from undergoing the insertion of an unnecessary intercostal chest drain, which often leads to catastrophe. Suspicion and early evaluation remain the keys, particularly in patients with chronic effusion. Often the diagnosis is reached through a combination of history, pleural fluid analysis, and radiological features such as the absence of a straight line in the chest X-ray, which is commonly found in a true hydropneumothorax, along with computed tomographic evidence of chronic effusion with thick pleural rind. Although not routinely performed, pleural manometry can confirm the diagnosis of trapped lungs. We present our case, where a 64-year-old woman with metastatic oesophageal cancer developed a right-sided effusion. The post-procedure chest X-ray following therapeutic aspiration of the pleural fluid gave an impression of iatrogenic hydropneumothorax, which on further careful assessment revealed a rather pneumothorax ex-vacuo along with effusion due to underlying trapped lungs. We present a review of non-expandable lungs.

The presence of chyle in the pleural cavity is referred to as chylothorax. Exudative chylothorax is usually related to damage or obstruction of the lymphatic vasculature with subsequent leakage into the pleural space. In contrast, transudative chylothorax is related to increased hydrostatic pressure caused by elevated intra-abdominal pressure, which leads to the translocation of chylous fluid into the pleural space. Cirrhosis is the most common cause of transudative chylothorax, commonly presenting with ascites and portal hypertension. To the best of our knowledge, isolated transudative chylothorax as a consequence of cirrhosis is exceptionally rare and has been scarcely reported in the literature. We herein report a female patient in her fifties who presented to our hospital with isolated unilateral transudative hepatic chylothorax, with no clinical evidence of cirrhosis or any stigmata of portal hypertension at the time of presentation.

Chylothorax and chylous ascites occur when lymphatic fluid accumulates in the pleural space or peritoneum, respectively. They are classified as either traumatic or non-traumatic, and lymphomas are the most common non-traumatic cause. Lymphomas can obstruct the lymphatic architecture causing lipid-rich chyle to leak out below the level of the obstructing mass. Bilateral chylothoraces presenting in the presence of chylous ascites, secondary to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, are rare. We describe a case of a 55-year-old man with recurring large-volume chylous ascites secondary to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma who developed bilateral chylothoraces. Initially, he presented with dyspnea and hypoxia and was found to have bilateral pleural effusions, requiring bilateral thoracentesis for diagnostic and therapeutic management. The fluid removed from the pleural space was found to be lymphatic fluid, and the patient was eventually discharged home with instructions to follow up with oncology for further management. The case reveals a temporal relationship where a huge volume of chylous ascites develops into a chylothorax.

A 55-year-old man experienced nausea and vomiting after brushing his teeth. He experienced back pain after this episode and visited our emergency department. Chest computed tomography (CT) images revealed moderate pleural fluid accumulation and mild left pneumothorax. Thoracentesis showed black pleural effusion. Thoracic drainage included food debris with black pleural effusion, and gastroscopy revealed food debris and perforation of the lower esophagus. Esophageal perforation was surgically repaired using omental implantation and pleuroclysis. Given the high mortality rate associated with black pleural effusion, prompt diagnostic procedures and corresponding management are essential.

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