Thoracic complications of peritoneal dialysis

Approximately 20% of the 100,000 patients in the United States currently un dergoing dialysis therapy for endstage renal disease use the technique of p eritoneal dialysis. We present a patient on peritoneal dialysis who develop ed a large posterior mediastinal mass, which on surgical exploration was fo und to be a paraesophageal hernia sac filled with omentum and dialysis flui d. We use this case as an introduction to review the thoracic complications of peritoneal dialysis. (Ann Thorac Surg 1999;67:1518-22) (C) 1999 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.