A Case Series on Pancreaticopleural Fistula

Abstract

A pancreaticopleural fistula (PPF) is a rare condition that causes thoracic symptoms such as dyspnea and chest pain secondary to exudative pleural effusions. While PPF is a very rare complication with only 52 cases reported between 1960 and 2007, they typically occur in patients who are male, middle aged, and have a history of chronic alcohol use and chronic pancreatitis (Aswani and Hira, 2015; Francisco et al., n.d.; Valeshabad et al., 2018; Ali et al., 2009). The fistula between the pancreas and pleural cavity causes large, rapidly accumulating, and recur- rent pleural effusions which cause symptoms that can be difficult to differentiate from other acute thoracic pathologies (Francisco et al., n. d.). As a result, it is essential that providers have a high index of suspicion for PPF in these appropriate populations. We present a case study with 2 patients who reported to our institute, to review the typical presentation, pathophysiology, and current approach to treatment of PPF.