Meigs' syndrome. A case report and review of literature

A 31-year-old woman, with primary infertility associated with cervico-vaginal defect, presented with intermittent breathlessness often correlated by the patient with menses, cough and chest pain. The symptoms had lasted for 6 months, and were attributed to a pleurisy, which was confirmed at roentgenology and treated by frequent thoracentesis, evacuating in all over 15 liters of fluid. Several aetiologies were excluded, such as: viral, TB, L.E., neoplasia, liver disfunction. A gynecological ultrasonography finally diagnosed a solid extensive ovarian tumour. Right oophorectomy has completely stopped pleural effusion relapse. We consider this case representative for the importance of a serious consideration of Meigs' syndrome in any recurrent pleurisy. We also believe our case to support the hypothesis of a hormone implication in Meigs' syndrome cause, as the symptoms correlated with menses, and especially as the morphopathological diagnosis was ovarian fibroma with myxoid areas, which could be incriminated for the patient's primary infertility, but it was not properly investigated.