Yellow nails, lymphedema and pleural effusion. Treatment of chronic pleural effusion with pleuroperitoneal shunting.

Pleural effusion secondary to lymphedema may be chronic, symptomatic and refractory to treatment, occasionally requiring invasive and painful procedures such as chemical pleurodesis, open pleural abrasion or pleurectomy to achieve control of the effusion and gain symptomatic relief. We report a patient with yellow nail syndrome and chronic pleural effusion successfully treated with pleuroperitoneal shunting.