Seul-Ki Han, Seong-Hee Kang, Moon-Young Kim, Seong-Kyun Na, Taehyung Kim, Minjong Lee, Baek-Gyu Jun, Tae-Suk Kim, Dae-Hee Choi, Ki-Tae Suk, Young-Don Kim, Gab-Jin Cheon, Hyung-Joon Yim, Dong-Joon Kim, Soon-Koo Baik
Background/Aims: The management of hepatic hydrothorax (HH) remains a challenging clinical scenario with suboptimal options. We investigated the effect and safety of pigtail catheter drainage compared to intermittent thoracentesis. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study included 164 cirrhotic patients with recurrent pleural effusion from March 2012 to June 2017. Patients with neoplasms, cardiopulmonary disease, and infectious conditions were excluded. We compared the clinical outcomes of pigtail catheter drainage versus thoracentesis for variables including complications related to procedures, overall survival, and re-admission rates...
December 5, 2022: Journal of Clinical Medicine