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Hydropneumothorax

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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A hydropneumothorax is the condition where there is fluid and air in the pleural space.

Possible causes of this condition include:

  • iatrogenic causes e.g. air accidently introduced during the drainage of a pleural effusion
  • a break in the visceral pleura e.g. a ruptured lung abscess
  • a rare cause of a hydropneumothorax is an infection of the pleural space by gas-forming organisms such as Clostridium welchii

Chest radiography reveals a pneumothorax bounded below by the horizontal surface of the pleural fluid.

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