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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
[Thoracocentesis in patients with pleural effusion and chronic alcoholic liver disease]
Joel Armando Loeza-Irigoyen1, Yolando Muñoz-Guzmán, Carlos Pérez-Guzmán
1Departamento de Neumología, Centro Médico Nacional de Occidente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Background:
chronic alcoholic liver disease (EHAC) associates to recurrent pleural effusion. Generally thoracocentesis is not performed for considering this fluid a trasudate. Our objective was to determine the usefulness of thoracocentesis and causes of recurrent pleural effusion.
Methods:
we analyzed samples of pleural fluid of patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease, recurrent pleural effusion and respiratory failure. Blood tests, chest x-rays and pleural fluid analyses were evaluated.
Results:
we included 27 cases. Mean age of patients was >60 year old, mean evolution time of liver disease was approximately 4 years. 55.6% were exudates and 44.4% trasudates. Causes of recurrent pleural effusion were portal hypertension in 12 (44.4%) cases. In patients with exudate, the origin was infectious in 8 (29.6%) cases; in 4 (14.8%) the cause was malignancy; one more with pulmonary embolism, and in other two patients the cause was not identified.
Conclusions:
we found that more than half of patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and recurrent pleural effusion was an exudate, thus thoracocentesis should be frequently performed in these patients.
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