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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
[A very unusual pleural presentation]
F Vergne1, R Le Mao1, L Simonin1
1Service de pneumologie, hôpital la Cavale-Blanche, CHRU de Brest, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29200 Brest, France.
Abstract:
Urinothorax refers to the presence of urine in the pleural space. Urinothorax is an infrequent and underdiagnosed pathology, with few cases reported, and these often suspected only with hindsight. It is usually a transudative pleural effusion. We report a case of urinothorax presenting as a purulent pleural effusion. Management of the urinothorax required antibiotics and surgical unblocking of the urinary tract. Currently, no test is available to confirm the diagnosis. The ratio of serum creatinine/pleural creatinine could suggest the presence of urinothorax but this parameter needs to be validated by complementary studies. Urinothorax should be suspected in the context of pleural effusion occurring after a recent urologic surgery.
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