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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2019; 9(03): 111-114
DOI: 10.4103/ajm.AJM_131_18
CASE REPORT

Sweet hydrothorax: a common presentation of a rare condition

Mohamad Alhoda Mohamad Alahmad
Internal Medicine Residency Program, Mercy Health—St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, USA
,
Rahil Kasmani
Nephrology Associates of Toledo, Maumee, Ohio
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Sweet hydrothorax is a known, yet rare, complication of peritoneal dialysis. It can be life-threatening. This case is about a 70-year-old lady who presented with acute respiratory failure due to massive right-sided hydrothorax that developed insidiously over 3 months of starting peritoneal dialysis. Thoracentesis and technetium scan confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment was successful with hemodialysis.

Key messages

– Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) can be complicated by sweet hydrothorax.

– Symptoms onset after initiation of PD and symptoms resolve with its discontinuation suggest the diagnosis.

– High gradient glucose level between pleural fluid and plasma is a hallmark feature of sweet hydrothorax.

– Patients with life-threatening symptoms can consider hemodialysis or surgical options.

Keywords

Diaphragmatic defect - peritoneal dialysis - pleural effusion - pleuroperitoneal communication - sweet hydrothorax - technetium scan


Publication History

Article published online:
09 August 2021

© 2019. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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