Hydrothorax is a condition where the pleural cavity fills with clear fluid, causing painful breathing. It is often caused by liver cirrhosis and is a subcategory of pleural effusion. Treatment involves fixing the underlying cause, such as a liver transplant or a TIPS procedure.
A hydrothorax is a medical condition in which the pleural cavity, the space between the lungs and chest, fills with a pale, yellow, clear fluid. This fluid is known as serous fluid and normally has the function of lubricating the lungs so they can move freely. The excess fluid causes the lungs to compress and this leads to painful and difficult breathing, called wheezing. This condition also leads to a lack of lung sounds when listening with a stethoscope, often the result of an underlying disorder.
There is a larger category, known as a “pleural effusion,” of which a hydrothorax is a subcategory. Hydro means water and thorax means chest, so hydrothorax simply translates to “water in the chest.” The other categories include: hemothorax, blood in the chest; chylothorax, lymph fluid-chyme-in chest; and pyothorax, also called empyema, which is pus in the chest. All of these terms refer to an excess of their particular fluid in the chest, which is usually dangerous and indicative of an underlying disease or lung damage.
The main cause of a hydrothorax is usually a liver problem known as cirrhosis. In cirrhosis of the liver, liver function is impaired by scarring, nodule formation, and fibrosis, all of which are a result of the liver repairing after damage from alcoholism, hepatitis B, fatty liver disease, and other causes. It’s not known exactly how cirrhosis of the liver leads to hydrothorax, but it’s believed that malfunctioning liver causes an imbalance in the body’s fluids, and the excess can show up in the lungs.
Treating a hydrothorax presents several problems. The main difficulty is that most of the time hydrothorax is a result of the final stages of liver disease. It is often not advisable to remove fluid from the lung with a chest tube, as it will not cut off the flow of excess fluid. The underlying cause needs to be fixed, which usually means a liver transplant. In addition to being risky, finding a donor for a liver transplant is often difficult.
There is another procedure, known as a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), that can be done to fix a hydrothorax and is safer than a transplant. A TIPS procedure involves creating a passageway, or shunt, from the liver’s two main veins that bypasses the scars and allows blood to flow evenly through the liver. This reduces overall pressure and reduces fluid buildup. While it does reduce the root of the problem, there is a danger of the liver itself being damaged by the TIPS procedure.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
