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Updated: Nov 6, 2025

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Recurrent symptomatic pleural effusion from a syringopleural shunt
Crystal T Ajja1, Tiffany F Chang1, Eric Ayers1
1Department of Internal Medicine-Pediatrics, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan.
Abstract:
A patient with a syringopleural shunt with dyspnea and cough was found to have a recurrent large pleural effusion. Computed tomography of the thorax revealed the syringopleural shunt catheter abutting the pleural effusion, and beta-2 transferrin was detected in the pleural fluid, suggesting that the recurrent symptomatic pleural effusion was secondary to the syringopleural shunt. Physicians should be cognizant of this potential long-term complication of syringopleural shunts. Management includes revising the shunt with a programmable device or converting it to a syringoperitoneal or syringoarachnoid shunt.
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