Pancreatico-Pleural Fistula - from Diagnosis to Management. A Case Report.

Pancreatic pseudocysts are frequent complications of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. By contrast, pancreatico-pleural fistula is rare. Here we report a case of massive pleural effusion secondary to a fistula in the left hemi-diaphragm, between a pancreatic pseudocyst and the left pleura, in a patient with a right kidney tumor and bilateral massive pulmonary thromboembolism. This fistula developed after several episodes of un-investigated acute pancreatitis. The pleural effusion was treated by three thoracocenteses, without recurrence.