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Updated: May 14, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Large unilateral pleural effusion secondary to Moraxella catarrhalis infection
1Department of Medicine, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal.
Abstract:
A 43-year-old male with chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis presented with breathlessness, cough and right-sided abdominal pain. Examination revealed a large right-sided pleural effusion and subsequent thoracocentesis yielded an exudate. Although the fluid culture was sterile, sputum culture produced Moraxella catarrhalis. Tuberculosis was ruled out by pleural fluid analysis and pleural biopsy. Antibiotics were administered and subsequent radiograms indicated resolution of the effusion. This is a rare case of a large unilateral pleural effusion secondary to M. catarrhalis infection in a nonsmoker with no pre-existing pulmonary pathology.
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