A successful surgical repair of the hepatic hydrothorax using pneumoperitoneum: Report of a case

A successful surgical repair of a right hepatic hydrothorax in the absence of ascites is reported. A technetium-99m scintigram that was injected intra peritoneally provided evidence of a one-way flow of fluid from the peritone al to pleural cavity. To identify any possible minute defects in the diaphr agm, carbon dioxide was insufflated into the peritoneal cavity during the o peration. We performed a direct suture of the defect observed on the diaphr agm. The pleural effusion subsequently vanished after the operation.