[Splenic infarction as an unusual cause of left pleural effusion]

Many etiologies lead to pleural effusion. The pathogenetic cause is usually located either in the lung parenchyma or in the pleura. Subphrenic causes that lead to pleural effusion are uncommon. Several reports elaborated on the role of splenic hemorrhages in the genesis of left-sided pleural effusion. Splenic infarction is a rare etiology of left-sided pleural effusion, and it has rarely been described in medical literature. We present a case study of an elderly female patient who suffered from polycythemia vera for more than a decade, and was hospitalized for left-sided pleural effusion that appeared following left upper abdominal pain.