Left pleural effusion in patients with chronic liver disease and ascites. Prospective study of 22 cases

In a prospective study of 22 cases of left pleural effusion in patients with chronic liver disease and ascites, 16 patients underwent thoracentesis, revealing ten transudates, considered to be hepatic hydrothorax, and six exudates, four of which turned out to be due to tuberculosis. Unilateral left pleural effusion is rare in chronic liver disease with ascites, but if present it is associated with a high incidence of pleuropulmonary tuberculosis (18%).