Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Black pleural effusion due to pancreatic pseudocyst: A case report
Feng Guo1, Junli Wu, Yunpeng Peng
1Pancreas Center, First Affiliated Hospital Pancreas Institute, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P.R. China.
Rationale:
Black pleural effusion (BPE) is an extremely uncommon type of pleural fluid, which can be due to infection, primary or metastatic malignancy, and hemorrhage. As reported in previous studies, BPE is also observed in some patients with pancreatic pseudocyst.
Patient Concerns:
We herein reported a case of a 14-year-old female patient who was admitted to our center with a history of cough for 1 and a half months and right chest pain for 1 month. Before this, she was consecutively hospitalized in 3 different hospitals due to the same symptoms. However, the previous treatments were ineffective due to the lack of a definitive diagnosis. Laboratory examination of the pleural effusion showed BPE with a high amylase concentration. Chest x-ray and computed tomography (CT) showed massive pleural effusion, more prominent in the right chest. CT and MRCP of the abdomen showed a cystic lesion located in the tail of the pancreas, which entered the chest cavity via an esophageal hiatal hernia. DIAGNOSES:: pancreatic pseudocyst.
Interventions:
After confirming that the tumor was a pancreatic pseudocyst by intraoperative biopsy, internal drainage to the jejunum was performed.
Outcomes:
The postoperative recovery was rapid and without complications, and the final discharge diagnosis was idiopathic pancreatic pseudocyst (without history of pancreatitis or pancreatic injuries) with BPE of the right chest.
Lessons:
This case demonstrates that massive BPE could present as a rare complication of pancreatic pseudocyst, and surgery is a potential treatment for such patients.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Pleural Effusion I: Introduction
There are two main types of pleural effusion: transudative and exudative. They are differentiated using Light's...
01:28Pleural Effusion II: Symptoms and Management
A pleural effusion is the abnormal collection of fluid between the parietal and visceral pleura layers of tissue that form the lining of the lungs and chest cavity. It can occur independently or due to surrounding parenchymal diseases, such as infection, malignancy, or inflammatory conditions.
Clinical Manifestations:
03:48Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion
01:10Detection of Black Holes
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
01:30Pleural Disorders: Types and Brief Description
01:24Data Reporting and Recording