Dextroposition of the Heart From Tension Hydrothorax in a Patient With Malignant Pleural Effusion.

Julia Y Lu, Emily Fritzmann, David W Hsia, Charles Lanks

Abstract readCase Reports

In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Julia Y LuInternal Medicine, Harbor-UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Medical Center, Torrance, USA.

Emily FritzmannPulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Harbor-UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Medical Center, Torrance, USA.

David W HsiaPulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Harbor-UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Medical Center, Torrance, USA.

Charles LanksPulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Harbor-UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Medical Center, Torrance, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tension hydrothorax, though rare, is a life-threatening complication of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Early recognition and intervention are crucial to prevent hemodynamic instability and respiratory failure. We present a case of a 68-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer who presented with progressive dyspnea and significant weight loss, in addition to dextroposition of her heart on exam. Imaging revealed a large left-sided pleural effusion with pleural nodularity and displacement of both the heart and great vessels into the right hemithorax, consistent with tension hydrothorax from MPE. Management included immediate pleural drainage with tube thoracostomy, which led to symptomatic relief, and the diagnosis of MPE was later confirmed through pleural biopsy. This case highlights the importance of rapid diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in extreme and life-threatening presentations of MPE.

Indexed as

malignant pleural effusion (mpe)metastatic breast cancerpoint-of-care-ultrasoundtension hydrothoraxvideo-assisted thoracoscopy

Identifiers

PMID40390730

DOI10.7759/cureus.82551

PMCPMC12086292

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.