Large diaphragmatic defect as the cause of hydrothorax in a cirrhotic patient: demonstration with peritoneal scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging.

A 52-year-old man with history of post-hepatitic cirrhosis presented with ascitis and respiratory distress. Chest X-ray on admission showed a large right hydrothorax. Thoracentesis yielded a large volume of a clear transudate fluid. Peritoneal scintigraphy showed rapid migration of radiotracer into the right pleural cavity, confirming the abdominal origin of the pleural fluid and suspecting a large diaphragmatic defect. MR imaging study using ultrafast sequences confirmed the large diaphragmatic defect.