Frequency of Hepatic Hydrothorax in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience

OBJECTIVE: Present study was designed to find out the frequency of hepatic hydrothorax among the patients with liver cirrhosis in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This prospective observational study was carried out at the Hepatology Section of Department of Medicine, Isra University Hospital, Hyderabad, from December 2005 to May 2006. All the consecutive patients suffering from cirrhosis of liver were included and studied for the presence of hepatic hydrothorax. Results were summed up and test parameters were compared statistically. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 128, and the mean age of these patients was 48.6 years. Frequency of hepatic hydrothorax in all patients with cirrhosis was 5.5% (7/128). It was seen that highest frequency of hepatic hydrothorax was found in Hepatitis C cirrhotic patients (4/7). The second most common occurrence was found in hepatitis B cirrhotic patients (2/7). In other types (non “B”, non “C”) it was 1/7. CONCLUSION: The frequency of hepatic hydrothorax at our center is similar as reported in the world literature.