Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Hepatic Chylothorax: An Uncommon Pleural Effusion
Aelia Akbar1, Tara Hendrickson1, Avinash Vangara1
1Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Harlan, KY, USA.
Abstract:
An 83-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and liver cirrhosis presented with confusion and dyspnea. On chest X-ray, he had the right mid to lower lung zone white out. Ultrasound-guided thoracentesis drained 1.5 L of milky white pleural fluid which was transudative according to chemical analysis. Transudative chylothorax in liver cirrhosis without ascites is rare, but can happen. When the flow of ascitic chylous fluid into the pleural space equals the rate of ascites production, clinical absence of detectable ascites will occur. Hepatic chylothorax is important and should be kept in differentials when evaluating patients with liver cirrhosis.
Related Concept Videos
Pleural Effusion I: Introduction
There are two main types of pleural effusion: transudative and exudative. They are differentiated using Light's...
Pleural 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:
Pneumothorax-I
Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax.
Pneumothorax-II
Clinical Manifestations:
Pleural Disorders: Types and Brief Description
Pleura of the Lungs

