Idiopathic Congenital Non-Chylous Pleural Effusion in Neonate: A Case Report

Abstract

Congenital isolated pleural effusion is a rare cause of respiratory distress in neonates. It is usually chylous. We report a rare case of nonchylous congenital idiopathic pleural effusion.

Empyema thoracis in a Nigerian neonate: case report and brief literature review

“…This becomes necessary as the classical signs of stony dullness and tracheal deviation may not be seen in neonates but it is observed to have an excellent prognosis with early diagnosis and treatment. 6,7 There are various imaging diagnostic tools that can be used to make the diagnosis, however most case reports like ours used chest X-ray only and a few others did chest ultrasound. 8,9 Chest X-ray and chest ultrasound are important both for diagnosis and monitoring the course of pleural effusions.…”

“…8 Hemmati et al in Iran reported a case of prenatal diagnosis of pleural effusion using the ultrasound done at the last month of pregnancy. 7 Also Shih and colleagues in Taiwan in their study on common aetiologies of neonatal effusions noted that two out of the 21 neonates studied were diagnosed prenatally. 8 There have been transitions in treatment of ET from the in-between rib blade-puncture method in the Hippocratic times to the use of antibiotics, surgery and fibrinolytics today.…”

“…2,6 This notwithstanding a few cases have been reported earlier in the literature. 1,3,[6][7][8] Due to the rarity of occurrence of ET in neonates, a high index of suspicion is advocated to make prompt diagnosis. This becomes necessary as the classical signs of stony dullness and tracheal deviation may not be seen in neonates but it is observed to have an excellent prognosis with early diagnosis and treatment.…”