Rare case of internal pancreatic fistula in a young adult presenting with massive bilateral pleural effusion

Pancreatic pleural fistula is a rare sequel of acute or chronic pancreatitis. The diagnosis is usually delayed due to low index of suspicion and the need for advanced diagnostic tools. The clinical presentation is often misleading because respiratory rather than abdominal symptoms predominate. The m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ case reports 2009, Vol.2009 (feb24 1), p.bcr0620080341-bcr0620080341
Main Authors: Jain, Sudhir Kumar, Basra, Baljeet Kumar, Nanda, Gitika, Srivathsan, R, Kaza, R C M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Asia
Clinical outcomes
Cysts
Indian Sub-Continent
Male
Unusual Presentation of More Common Disease/Injury
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Summary:Pancreatic pleural fistula is a rare sequel of acute or chronic pancreatitis. The diagnosis is usually delayed due to low index of suspicion and the need for advanced diagnostic tools. The clinical presentation is often misleading because respiratory rather than abdominal symptoms predominate. The majority of reported cases of pancreatic pleural fistula present as unilateral pleural effusion; presentation as bilateral pleural effusion is extremely rare. We report a case of a 16-year-old boy with traumatic acute pancreatitis who presented with a massive bilateral pleural effusion caused by pancreatico-pleural fistula.
ISSN:1757-790X
1757-790X
DOI:10.1136/bcr.06.2008.0341