Urinothorax: an unusual cause of pleural effusion

Handa A, Agarwal R, Aggarwal AN
Correspondence: Dr Ritesh Agarwal, riteshpgi@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Urinothorax refers to the presence of urine in the pleural space secondary to obstructive uropathy, and is an unusual cause of pleural effusion. The importance of recognising this entity lies in the fact that the condition is completely reversible following relief of urinary tract obstruction. We describe a 35-year-old man who developed urinothorax following a percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal calculi. We also reviewed the literature for reported cases between 1968 and 2006.

Keywords: hydrothorax, obstructive uropathy, pleural effusion, urinothorax
Singapore Med J 2007; 48(11): e289–e292