Bilateral pancreatic pleural effusions: a case report and literature review

The pleuropulmonary complications of pancreatitis are protean. The subject of pancreatic pleural effusions has received avid attention in the recent literature with the demonstration of pancreaticopleural fistulization by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Surgical intervention has been efficacious when nonoperative management has failed. We report the successful nonoperative management of a case of alcohol-related pancreatitis complicated by bilateral pleural effusions, and then review the literature.